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The  Man  and  His  Message 


THE 

Man  and  His  Message 

Addresses 


HENRY  M.  BOOTH,  D.D.,  LL.D. 

First  President  of  Auburn  Seminary,  and  Professor  of  Prac- 
tical Theology,  1893-1899 


Delivered  before  the  Students  and  Alumni  of  the  Theological  Seminary, 
of  Auburn,  in  the  State  of  New  York 


New  York        Chicago        Toronto 

Fleming  H.  Revell  Company 

Publishers  of  Evangelical  Literature 


Copyright,  1899 

by 

FLEMING  H.  REVELL  COMPANY 


Prefatory  Note 

The  addresses  which  are  published  in  this 
volume  express  the  life  purpose  which  en- 
riched the  ministry  of  my  father.  With  him, 
sin  was  a  reality  which  could  be  met  only  by 
the  love  of  a  Divine  Saviour;  and  his  happiest 
moments,  whether  in  the  active  work  of  the 
pastorate  at  Englewood,  or  amid  the  student 
life  at  Auburn,  were  in  proclaiming  the  love 
of  "Jesus  Christ,  and  Him  crucified." 

With  this  confidence,  he  labored;  and  when 
his  work  was  finished,  he  quietly  laid  down 
his  task,  "and  stood  in  the  presence  of  the 
Master." 

The  "Man  for  the  Message,"  is  his  inau- 
gural address  when  inducted  into  the  office  of 
President,  and  Professor  of  Practical  Theology 
in  Auburn  Seminary,  in  October,  1893. 

The  remaining  six  addresses  were  delivered 
upon  successive  years  to  the  graduating  classes 
of  the  Seminary.  The  last  message — "Stew- 
ards of  the  Mysteries  of  God,"  was  completed 
a  few  days  before  my  father's  death,  on 
eighteenth  of  March  of  this  present  year,  and 

5 


Prefatory  Note 

was  read  at  Commencement  some  two  months 
later. 

"The  Man  and  His  Message"  may  serve  as 
a  title  to  unify  these  addresses.  They  present 
a  conception  of  the  Christian  ministry,  which 
a  lifetime  of  service  gave  to  my  father. 

Fisher  Howe  Booth. 
Tenafly  N.  J. 

November  1899 


Contents 

PAGE 

The  Man  for  the  Message        ...      9 

"  Power  from  on  High  "        ...  45 

"Ambassadors  on  Behalf  of  Christ"  .    63 

Jesus  Christ,  and  Him  Crucified    .        .  85 

"The  Mind  of  Christ"     .        .        .  .105 

Watching  for  Souls   .        .        .        .  123 

Stewards  of  the  Mysteries  of  God  .  .143 


The  Man  for  the  Message 


The  Man  for  the  Message 

The  man  for  the  message  is  the  appeal  of 
the  world.  Christendom  is  dominant,  even 
while  Christendom  is  not  yet  Christian.  The 
armies,  the  navies,  the  commerce,  the  uni- 
versities, the  libraries,  the  civilization  of  the 
century  acknowledge  the  supremacy  of  Jesus 
Christ.  His  name  stands  above  every  other 
name;  and  His  word  is  accepted  as  the  wis- 
dom that  must  rule  in  life  and  conduct,  if 
prosperity  and  happiness  are  ever  to  find  a 
home  on  this  earth.  A  cycle  of  Cathay  is  not 
equal  to  fifty  years  of  Europe;  and  the  grey 
barbarian  is  confessedly  lower  than  the  Chris- 
tian child. 

Heathenism  is  conscious  of  a  decadence 
which  is  suggestive  of  social  and  religious 
transformations.  Mohammedanism  is  still  ag- 
gressive. In  the  Soudan,  each  new  Mahdi  se- 
cures a  few  converts.  But  the  sword  has  been 
sheathed;  and  the  Koran  or  death  are  seldom 
the  alternative.  The  crescent  has  been  taught 
by  the  cross,  so  that  Christian  methods  of 
education  and  government  are  influential  in 
the  Orient.  "The  New  Islam,"  which  is  a 
progressive  movement  among  the  cultured 
11 


12        The  Man  and  His  Message 

Mohammedans  of  India,  ventures  to  rebuke 
polygamy,  concubinage  and  slavery.  Irre- 
ligion  is  apathetic,  while  infidelity  is  critical, 
rather  than  constructive.  The  open  doors  of 
opportunity  are  more  evident,  and  more  im- 
portunate, than  was  the  vision  of  Troas,  which 
gave  to  Europe  an  apostolic  man  and  a  gospel 
message.  God  has  answered  prayer.  Ob- 
stacles have  been  removed.  Invitations  have 
been  issued.  The  conviction  is  prevalent,  that 
the  gospel  message  is  "good  tidings  of  great 
joy,  which  shall  be  to  all  people";  and  the  ap- 
peal of  the  world,  unuttered  it  may  be,  yet 
real  and  urgent,  is  a  Macedonian  call  for  the 
man  who  is  prepared  to  carry  God's  message, 
or  to  act  as  God's  messenger. 

This  is  the  situation  that  is  now  addressed 
by  a  Theological  Seminary.  A  Theological 
Seminary  exists  for  the  purpose  of  training 
men  who  are  to  serve  as  "ambassadors  for 
Christ."  Manhood,  and  manhood  that  is  dis- 
tinctively and  emphatically  Christian,  is  the  de- 
sirable product  of  a  Theological  Seminary. 
There  must  be  an  agreement  between  the  man 
and  the  message,  and  as  the  message  is  a 
divine  revelation  that  has  been  announced  in  its 
completeness,  the  man  must  be  made  to  con- 
form to  its  spirit  and  truth.  No  heathen 
orator,  even  with  the  matchless  speech  of  a 
Demosthenes  or  a  Cicero,  can  make  the  mes- 


The  Man  for  the  Message         13 

sage  effective  by  its  verbal  proclamation;  and 
no  brilliant  genius,  even  with  the  intellect  of  a 
Goethe  or  the  pen  of  a  Shakespeare,  can  ac- 
complish the  noble  service  of  a  messenger  of 
the  gospel,  if  he  has  failed  to  experience  in  his 
own  soul,  "the  power  of  the  Highest."  The 
message  summons  the  man,  disciplines  him, 
indicates  his  work,  and  reaches  the  world 
through  his  personality,  because  the  Holy 
Spirit  is  pleased  thus  to  use  the  man,  in  recon- 
ciling the  world  to  God  by  Jesus  Christ.  Thus 
St.  Paul  went  forth  with  the  glad  confidence 
that  God,  who  had  called  him  by  His  grace, 
had  revealed  His  Son  in  him  in  order  that  he 
might  preach.  He  was  conscious  that  he  had 
"the  mind  of  Christ."  When  he  was  "  cruci- 
fied with  Christ,"  he  entered  upon  the  new 
life,  which  he  thereafter  lived  "by  the  faith  of 
the  Son  of  God."  With  him  stand  all  the 
great  preachers,  all  the  heroic  missionaries,  all 
the  martyrs  and  confessors,  who  have  enriched 
the  world  by  their  fidelity,  and  who  have 
made  the  gospel  precious  to  the  weary,  lonely 
and  sad  daughters  and  sons  of  men.  The 
gospel  has  become  personal.  They  have  in- 
carnated its  truths.  In  them,  Jesus  Christ  has 
lived,  and  ruled,  and  manifested  His  desire 
"to  seek  and  to  save  that  which  was  lost." 

If  the  message  is  to  determine  the  man,  it  is 
essential  that  the  message  should  be  under- 


14       The  Man  and  His  Message 

stood.  For  while  the  man  may  be  affected  by 
racial,  national  and  personal  characteristics,  by 
the  centuries  and  the  continents,  the  message 
is  always  and  everywhere  the  same.  It  con- 
siders and  answers  those  three  great  questions, 
which  are  the  religious  questions  of  the  ages: 
What  can  be  said  of  sin  ?  What  can  be  said 
of  God  ?  What  can  be  said  of  immortality  ? 
When  those  three  questions  are  satisfactorily 
answered,  the  religious  problem  is  solved.  For 
sin  is  the  ever-present  obstacle  to  individual 
and  social  perfection,  and  God  is  essential  to 
the  completeness  of  human  life,  and  immor- 
tality is  the  demand  of  every  eager,  intelligent 
spirit.  So  true  is  it,  as  Augustine  of  Hippo 
has  said:  " Thou  hast  made  us  for  Thyself,  oh 
God,  and  our  souls  are  ever  restless,  until  they 
rest  in  Thee." 

To  understand  the  message,  the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures must  be  searched.  This  was  the  injunc- 
tion of  the  Master,  when  He  and  His  disciples 
held  in  their  hands  a  portion  only  of  the  Holy 
Scriptures.  That  portion  has  received  a  con- 
siderable and  an  important  addition,  since  the 
New  Testament  canon  has  been  associated 
with  the  Old.  The  Old  Testament  secured  the 
endorsement  of  our  blessed  Lord,  and  the  New 
Testament  was  composed  by  apostolic  men, 
to  whom  was  given  the  promise  of  the  Holy 
Spirit's  enlightenment,  guidance  and  control. 


The  Man  for  the  Message         15 

Thus  the  sacred  volume  is  the  Word  of  God, 
and  "the  only  infallible  rule  of  faith  and  prac- 
tice." It  is  said  to  be  inspired — "God 
breathed."  Just  what  is  meant  by  inspired,  it 
is  not  easy  to  say.  In  his  essay  on  "  The  Hu- 
man Understanding,"  Locke  quotes  a  Latin 
aphorism,  which  is  pertinent  to  this  question 
of  inspiration: 

"  Si  non  rogas,  intelligo." 

"  If  you  don't  ask  me,  I  know." 

Whenever  the  divine  activity  is  exception- 
ally evident,  the  limitations  of  the  human  un- 
derstanding are  the  rebuke  of  free  inquiry. 
Results  may  be  known,  while  methods  or 
processes  baffle  comprehension.  "The  wind 
bloweth  where  it  listeth,  and  thou  hearest  the 
sound  thereof."  Who  can  properly  question 
the  reality  of  the  breeze,  the  gale,  or  the  tem- 
pest ?  Yet  who  can  tell  us,  "  whence  it  Com- 
eth, and  whither  it  goeth  "  ?  Men  have  tried 
to  be  very  wise  in  their  definitions  and  expla- 
nations of  how  God  must  have  acted,  and  how 
God  must  still  be  acting.  But  very  much  of 
this  wisdom  is  only  a  darkening  of  counsel  by 
words  without  knowledge.  The  a-priori  con- 
clusions must  meet  the  scrutiny  of  the  a-pos- 
teriori  facts,  and  facts  are  often  destructive  of 
philosophies.  It  is  possible  that  too  many 
questions  may  be  asked  concerning  the  most 


1 6        The  Man  and  His  Message 

sacred  things,  and  it  is  possible  that  a  man 
may  exhibit  his  learning,  and  his  piety  too,  by 
saying  frankly,  "I  do  not  know."  In  the 
presence  of  the  sweet  singer  of  the  Olney 
hymns,  the  evidences  of  a  divine  regeneration, 
a  complete  spiritual  transformation,  which  ex- 
tends to  body,  soul  and  spirit,  are  as  plain  as 
are  the  evidences  of  the  summer,  when  the 
fields  are  covered  with  ripening  grain.  John 
Newton,  once  a  libertine,  now  a  saint,  once  a 
slave  trader,  now  a  benefactor  of  the  race,  can 
be  explained  only  as  the  grace  of  God,  in  the 
activity  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  is  recognized.  He 
is  filled  with  the  Holy  Spirit.  Now,  shall 
curious  questionings  undertake  to  tell  us  just 
how  the  Holy  Spirit  regenerated  John  Newton, 
and  just  how  far  the  regenerating  influence  of 
the  Holy  Spirit  extends  to  his  finger  tips,  into 
the  hairs  of  his  head  and  throughout  his  body  ? 
No!  We  prefer  to  silence  such  questionings. 
They  appear  to  us  to  trifle  with  a  sublime 
mystery.  We  are  satisfied  with  John  Newton, 
as  we  have  him.  When  he  is  present,  we 
know  that  we  are  confronted  by  a  man  of 
God;  and  when  we  grasp  his  hand,  we  feel 
the  warm  pressure,  which  is  that  of  a  divine 
life  in  a  human  frame. 

The  Holy  Scriptures  are  filled  with  the  in- 
spiration of  God.  From  Genesis  to  the  Apoc- 
alypse,   these   writings   are   "God-breathed." 


The  Man  for  the  Message         17 

One  may  appear  more  valuable  than  another, 
just  as  the  fruit  of  a  tree  may  seem  to  be  more 
precious  than  the  bark.  Yet  the  bark  is  essen- 
tial to  the  fruit;  and  the  Creator  of  all  life  gives 
the  bark,  as  truly  as  He  gives  the  fruit.  But 
the  fruit  is  for  food,  which  men  are  to  eat, 
without  insisting  that  the  bark  is  just  as  nu- 
tritious, because  it  is  the  bark  of  a  living 
tree. 

The  message  which  we  are  seeking  is  the 
precious  fruit  of  the  Holy  Scriptures.  In  the 
Holy  Scriptures,  there  is  discovered  a  revela- 
tion, and  that  revelation  is  the  message.  An 
inspired  volume  contains  a  divine  revela- 
tion. As  the  wise  men  of  Westminster  de- 
clared, more  than  two  hundred  years  ago, 
"The  whole  counsel  of  God,  concerning  all 
things  necessary  for  His  own  glory,  man's 
salvation,  faith  and  life,  is  either  expressly  set 
down  in  Scripture,  or  by  good  and  necessary 
consequence  may  be  deduced  from  Scripture, 
unto  which  nothing,  at  any  time,  is  to  be 
added,  whether  by  new  revelations  of  the  Spirit, 
or  traditions  of  men."  "  The  Supreme  Judge, 
by  which  all  controversies  of  religion  are  to  be 
determined,  and  all  decrees  of  councils,  opin- 
ions of  ancient  writers,  doctrines  of  men,  and 
private  spirits  are  to  be  examined,  and  in 
whose  sentence  we  are  to  rest,  can  be  no  other 
but  the  Holy  Spirit,  speaking  in  the  Scripture." 


1 8       The  Man  and  His  Message 

Those  seventeenth  century  sentences  require 
no  revision.  They  are  the  conservators  of 
truth  and  liberty  and  progress.  Attention  is 
directed  to  a  well-known  volume  whose  con- 
tents become  the  possession  of  a  devout 
scholarship.  Such  scholarship  has  the  prom- 
ised enlightenment  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  It  goes 
not  to  man,  nor  to  any  organization,  for  its 
opinions,  but  to  the  Holy  Scriptures.  As  the 
Holy  Scriptures  are  searched,  theories  may  be 
dismissed,  interpretations  may  be  discarded, 
bodies  of  divinity  may  find  their  catacombs  on 
the  upper  shelves  of  dust-covered  libraries. 
Biblical  theology  must,  after  all,  be  the  the- 
ology, which  is  to  equip  the  man  for  the  mes- 
sage, and  to  send  him  out  as  a  true  and  loyal 
servant  of  the  living  God.  Such  theology  goes 
to  the  Holy  Scriptures,  as  the  modern  astron- 
omer sweeps  the  heavens  with  penetrating 
lenses,  confident  that  the  vision  which  is  keen 
will  discover  the  deep  things  of  God,  whose 
reality  was  never  imagined  by  men  of  a 
former  generation.  When  Abram  stood  at 
his  tent  door,  and  looked  up  at  the  divine 
bidding,  he  saw  in  the  stars  of  that  eastern 
sky,  the  number  of  his  descendants.  But 
what  did  he  know,  what  could  he  know,  of 
the  stars  as  the  men  of  to-day  know  them, 
whose  watch-towers  are  splendidly  equipped 
for  observation  ? 


The  Man  for  the  Message  19 

Decadence  in  spiritual  appreciation  is  not  a 
sign  of  the  times.  Never  since  the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures became  one  book  has  the  opportunity  for 
study  equalled  the  present;  and  never,  through 
the  centuries,  has  the  purpose  to  grasp  the  con- 
tents of  the  Holy  Scriptures  been  as  resolute  as 
now;  and  never,  in  all  the  years  of  the  Chris- 
tian Church,  has  there  been  as  intelligent  an 
estimate  of  what  the  Bible  is,  and  of  what  it  is 
for,  as  among  the  men  and  women  of  our  day. 
The  spirit  of  the  Beroeans  is  active.  An  earnest 
of  a  stronger  faith  and  of  a  more  effective 
evangelism  is  to  be  found  in  the  many  open 
and  well-worn  Bibles.  A  Biblical  age  must  be 
an  age  of  faith  and  activity.  We  may  not  all 
agree  as  to  points  of  emphasis,  as  to  polity  and 
ritual.  The  right  of  private  judgment  is  an  in- 
heritance from  the  reformers,  which  every 
Protestant  values.  It  has  its  perils,  just  as  life 
and  activity  always  have.  The  cemetery  is  a 
place  of  safety,  because  the  quiet  of  death  is 
there.  But  our  busy,  thinking  age  is  not  a 
cemetery,  and  the  Church  of  Him  who  is  alive 
forevermore,  should  never  be  satisfied  with  a 
peace  which  is  the  stillness  of  death.  The 
peril  of  inquiry,  evident  as  it  is,  is  better,  far 
better,  than  the  safety  of  indifference,  igno- 
rance or  fear  of  ecclesiastical  disfavor.  In  a 
fair  contest  with  error,  whether  scientific,  his- 
toric or  philosophic,  the  Bible  has  never  suf- 


20       The  Man  and  His  Message 

fered;  while  that  sacred  book  has  often  suf- 
fered, when  the  theories  of  the  schools  have 
been  attached  to  it  in  such  a  manner  that  the 
Bible  and  the  theories  have  been  regarded  as 
identical. 

One  Sabbath  afternoon,  not  long  ago,  I  at- 
tended a  service  in  Westminster  Abbey.  The 
Abbey  was  crowded,  so  that  I  was  compelled 
to  take  a  seat  in  the  transept,  distant  from 
choir  and  pulpit.  As  I  could  not  hear  the  ser- 
mon, I  gave  myself  up  to  the  impressive  asso- 
ciations of  that  historic  sanctuary.  Around 
me  were  the  splendid  memorials  of  England's 
greatness  in  peace  and  war;  those  magnificent 
statues  which  are  a  nation's  tribute  to  wisdom, 
valor  and  patriotism. 

As  I  recalled  the  achievements  which  are 
thus  immortalized,  the  sunset  hour  drew  on 
and  the  daylight  began  to  fade.  Suddenly 
there  was  heard  the  roll  of  distant  thunder, 
and  a  flash  of  lightning  was  seen.  The  Abbey 
became  very  dark.  The  rain  began  to  fall  in 
torrents.  The  rushing  wind  rattled  the  case- 
ments. 

The  preacher  finished  his  discourse.  A  few 
prayers  were  said.  The  anthem  was  an- 
nounced. By  this  time  the  storm  had  reached 
its  height.  The  thunder  was  echoing  among 
the  arches  of  the  Abbey,  and  the  lightning 
brought  out  into  strong  and  bold  relief  the 


The  Man  for  the  Message         21 

marble  statues.  It  was  a  strange,  weird  expe- 
rience, there  among  the  living  and  the  dead, 
with  nature  convulsed.  Even  the  notes  of  the 
great  organ  were,  at  times,  inaudible.  No  ear 
could  distinguish  the  words  of  the  anthem,  al- 
though a  full  choir  was  engaged  in  the  service 
of  praise.  There  was  a  pause,  brief  but  elo- 
quent, a  lull  in  this  contest  between  man  and 
the  elements,  when  a  single  voice  took  up  a 
sentence,  and  sang  it  sweetly,  like  a  seraph 
before  the  throne.  Again  in  higher  key,  and 
still  again  in  key  yet  higher,  and  higher  still 
that  voice  was  heard,  above  the  hissing  of  the 
wind,  and  the  beating  of  the  rain,  and  the  tu- 
mult of  the  thunder,  until  it  seemed  that  no 
voice  of  man  could  strike  a  higher  note,  an- 
nouncing, calmly  and  exultantly,  that  one  sen- 
tence, only  one:  "And  His  truth  endureth 
from  generation  to  generation." 

I  shall  never  forget  that  hour  and  that  voice. 
My  unbelief  was  rebuked.  My  faith  was 
strengthened.  "His  truth  endureth."  His 
Word  is  truth.  In  that,  our  Holy  Bible  as  we 
have  it,  we  place  our  confidence.  Men  may 
question,  may  criticise,  may  deny.  But  the 
Holy  Bible  will  assert  its  power,  and  proclaim 
to  all  the  world  that  glorious  salvation  which 
is  God's  eternal  love  for  man.  We  need  not 
fear.  The  end  is  not  doubtful.  The  Holy 
Bible,  as  the  Word  of  God,  will  yet  be  read  in 


22        The  Man  and  His  Message 

every  language,  be  welcome  in  every  dwell- 
ing, be  influential  in  every  life.  So  we  believe, 
and  therefore  speak. 

In  the  Holy  Scriptures,  Jesus  Christ,  the  Di- 
vine Redeemer  of  mankind,  is  everywhere 
present;  sometimes  He  is  the  theme  of  proph- 
ecy, and  again  He  is  the  significance  of  type; 
now  He  is  the  burden  of  song,  and  again  He 
is  the  interpretation  of  parable;  here  He  is 
doctrine,  and  there  He  is  life.  But  there  is  no 
contradiction.  The  stream  flows  onward  from 
the  fountain  which  appears  in  Eden,  to  the 
pure  river  of  the  water  of  life,  which  is  seen 
in  the  City  of  God.  The  protevangelium  of 
the  garden  is  the  pledge  of  the  welcome,  which 
is  heard  in  the  New  Jerusalem.  What  Adam 
and  Eve  must  have  understood  when  God  cov- 
ered their  nakedness  with  coats  of  skin  and  led 
them  to  an  altar  and  a  bleeding  sacrifice,  the 
convert  of  yesterday  knew  as  he  turned,  by 
faith,  to  "the  Lamb  of  God,  which  taketh 
away  the  sin  of  the  world."  The  truth  is  the 
same,  whether  whispered  in  simple  language 
to  the  infancy  of  the  race,  or  proclaimed  in 
terms  of  profound  significance  to  that  race  in 
its  adult  years.  Abel,  the  first  martyr,  whose 
faith  in  the  Redeemer  cost  him  the  lower  life 
and  secured  him  the  higher,  stands  at  the  head 
of  the  multitude  that  no  man  can  number. 
There  is  but  one  message.     There  has  never 


The  Man  for  the  Message         23 

been  but  one.    We  have  no  expectation  that 
there  will  ever  be  another. 

"  We  abide 
Not  on  this  earth  ;  but  for  a  little  space 
We  pass  upon  it ;  and  while  we  pass 
God  through  the  dark  hath  set  the  Light  of  Life, 
With  witness  of  Himself,  the  Word  of  God, 
To  be  among  us  man,  with  human  heart, 
And  human  language,  thus  interpreting 
The  one  great  will  incomprehensible, 
Only  so  far  as  we  in  human  life 
Are  able  to  receive  it.     Men  as  men, 
Can  reach  no  higher  than  the  Son  of  God, 
The  Perfect  Head  and  Pattern  of  Mankind." 

For  He,  the  Son  of  Mary,  is  also  the  eternal 
Son  of  God.  Immanuel  is  His  appropriate 
designation.  Made  like  unto  His  brethren  in 
His  voluntary  condescension,  He  is  infinitely 
superior  to  angels  and  to  archangels  in  the 
glory  of  His  divine  nature.  He  is  the  mes- 
sage, for  he  who  knows  Jesus  Christ,  knows 
the  love  of  God  and  the  plan  of  God  and  that 
wonderful  accomplishment,  which  has  given 
us  Bethlehem,  Nazareth,  Gethsemane  and  Cal- 
vary, with  the  slope  of  Olivet,  on  which  we 
stand  gazing  up  into  heaven. 

From  the  lips  of  Jesus  Christ,  when  He  was 
here  among  men,  fell  these  words  of  priceless 
meaning:  "  God  so  loved  the  world,  that  He 
gave  His  only  begotten  Son,  that  whosoever 


24       The  Man  and  His  Message 

believeth  in  Him  should  not  perish,  but  have 
everlasting  life."  That  sentence  is  a  cube  of 
the  purest  gold,  that  may  be  minted  into  the 
current  coin  of  a  daily  exchange,  as  it  makes 
possible  a  true  Christian  socialism;  or  fash- 
ioned into  the  ornaments,  which  befit  the  chil- 
dren of  a  king,  as  the  doctrine  of  God,  our 
Saviour,  is  adorned  in  all  things;  or  held  as  the 
token  which  will  admit  a  sinful  creature  into 
the  pure  and  radiant  life  of  heaven.  Few 
words  are  used;  but  each  word  finds  its  inter- 
pretation in  the  Holy  Scriptures,  whose  main 
purpose  is  "the  unveiling  of  God's  character." 
So  that  we  may  know  and  believe,  that  the 
same  God  who  is  announced  in  the  book  of 
Genesis,  as  the  Creator  of  "the  heavens  and 
the  earth  and  all  the  host  of  them,"  is  He  who 
has  "  loved  us  with  an  everlasting  love."  This 
love  is  the  source  of  every  redemptive  bless- 
ing. The  initiative  is  with  God,  "He  first 
loved  us."  "There  are  two  kinds  of  religion 
and  only  two,"  remarked  President  Seelye,  as 
he  addressed  the  educated  Hindus  of  India: 
"  The  one  begins  with  man,  and  seeks  by  hu- 
man endeavors,  after  a  divine  fellowship. 
The  other  begins  with  God,  and  by  a  way 
wholly  divine  seeks  after  man.  In  this  is  the 
peculiarity  of  the  Christian,  in  distinction  from 
all  other  systems  of  religion,  and  in  the  revela- 
tion of  this  doctrine,  is  the  distinction  of  the 


The  Man  for  the  Message         25 

Bible  from  all  other  books.  The  salvation 
which  the  Christian  religion  announces  is  pro- 
cured wholly  through  a  divine  work  and  is 
offered  to  man,  not  in  the  least  because  his 
obedience  or  service  can  merit  it,  but  solely 
through  the  free  exercise  of  divine  mercy." 
The  little  word  "so"  covers  all  that  is  distinc- 
tive in  the  gospel  message,  "  God  so  loved  the 
world."  The  so  is  grace,  and  grace,  so  far  as 
we  are  aware,  is  God's  especial  love  for  this, 
our  world.  He  may  have,  and  He  has,  other 
love  for  other  beings  and  for  other  worlds. 
But  for  us,  God's  love  is  grace — unmerited 
favor.  When  He  loves  the  world,  God  is 
"  kind  unto  the  unthankful  and  the  evil." 

The  grace  is  active  sympathy;  for  God  has 
given  His  Son  to  suffer  and  to  die,  in  order 
that  the  world  may  not  perish  in  sin,  but  live 
in  holiness.  The  Son  is  freely  offered,  as  the 
only  Redeemer;  and  the  one  condition  of  ac- 
ceptance is  repentance  and  faith.  Believing  in 
Him,  "whosoever" — and  that  means  any  hu- 
man being — may  find  life,  and  life  that  can  be 
lived  peacefully  and  happily  forever  and  for- 
ever more.  The  whole  world  is  addressed. 
There  are  no  limitations.  When  the  call  is  to 
"whosoever,"  men  are  not  invited  to  a  banquet, 
which  has  not  food  enough  to  go  around.  The 
invitation  is  genuine.  "There  is  grace  enough 
for  thousands  of  new  worlds  as  great  as  this." 


26       The  Man  and  His  Message 

The  love  of  God  in  Jesus  Christ  is  inexhaust- 
ible. The  gospel  message  is  for  all  the  world. 
The  command  is,  "Go  and  preach  to  every 
creature." 

The  glorious  gospel  of  the  grace  of  God  is 
the  message  for  the  man.  He  must  not  disre- 
gard it.  Other  themes  may  tempt  him.  He 
may  be  interested  in  science,  in  art,  or  in  poli- 
tics, and  he  may  imagine  he  has  a  special  mis- 
sion to  discharge.  But  let  him  not  fall  into 
the  error  which  has  destroyed  the  influence  of 
many  a  Christian  minister.  He  can  do  more 
for  art,  for  science,  and  for  politics  by  using 
the  gospel  aright,  by  indirection,  if  you  please, 
than  he  can  by  neglecting  the  gospel,  and  de- 
voting himself  to  art,  to  science  and  to  poli- 
tics. The  world  expects  that  a  Christian  min- 
ister will  present  Christianity  at  all  times. 
This  was  the  daily  work  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  who  could  have  spoken,  and  with  wis- 
dom too,  on  finance  and  politics,  and  philoso- 
phy, and  literature,  and  science,  and  art;  but 
who  concentrated  His  daily  speech  upon  the 
vital  interests  of  sin  and  salvation.  We  may 
safely  learn  of  Him.  The  gospel  is  compre- 
hensive. When  it  makes  a  new  man  in  Christ 
Jesus,  every  desirable  interest  of  human  life  is 
affected.  The  "new  earth  wherein  dwelleth 
righteousness"  will  possess  a  refined  art,  a 
true  science  and  politics  which  are  pure. 


The  Man  for  the  Message         27 

It  is  said  that  the  saintly  Archbishop  Leigh- 
ton  was  once  reprimanded  in  a  synod,  "for 
not  preaching  up  the  times."  "Who,"  he 
asked,  "does  preach  up  the  times?"  The 
reply  was,  "All  the  brethren."  "Then,"  re- 
joined Leighton,  "if  all  of  you  preach  up  the 
times,  you  may  surely  allow  one  poor  brother 
to  preach  up  Jesus  Christ  and  eternity."  The 
American  pulpit  has  known  no  minister  who 
has  been  superior  to  Dr.  George  W.  Bethune, 
in  the  wide  range  of  public  sympathy.  Yet 
Dr.  Bethune  carried  into  his  ministry  the  wise 
counsel  of  his  godly  father,  who  said  :  "My 
son,  preach  the  gospel.  Tell  dying  sinners  of 
a  Saviour.  Mind  nothing  else.  It  is  all  folly." 
I  have  been  present  more  than  once  where  the 
appointments  of  service  were  elaborate  and 
costly,  where  the  associations  of  the  sanctu- 
ary were  those  of  an  Evangelical  past,  and 
where  men  and  women  were  waiting  to  hear 
"the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus."  And  I  have  lis- 
tened to  what  Spinoza  has  to  say,  or  to  what 
Darwin  has  to  say,  or  to  what  Huxley  has  to 
say,  to  theories  of  light  and  motion,  to  ethical 
discussions,  until  my  soul  has  cried  out  within 
me  in  earnest  desire  to  hear  what  our  blessed 
Lord  has  to  say.  These  things  ought  not  so 
to  be.  A  Christian  sanctuary,  on  the  Lord's 
day,  is  open  for  Christian  worship,  and  he 
who,  in  the  conduct  of  worship,  fails  to  make 


28        The  Man  and  His  Message 

the  gospel  prominent  above  all  else  that  can 
be  spoken,  is  guilty  before  God  and  men  of  a 
perversion  of  his  sacred  privilege.  The  two 
terms,  sin  and  salvation,  admit  of  all  needful 
modifications  and  adjustments,  while  the  two 
personalities,  the  sinner  and  the  Saviour,  are 
expressive  of  all  any  man  can  know  of  him- 
self and  of  the  infinitely  wise  and  Holy  God. 
For  the  saint  is  the  sinner  redeemed,  renewed, 
perfected,  glorified;  while  the  Saviour  is 
Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Spirit,  the  Triune  God, 
in  the  blessed  activities  of  a  world's  salvation. 
This,  then,  is  the  message  for  which  the  man 
is  to  be  trained.  Who  can  fail  to  see  that  its 
divine  origin  is  stamped  upon  its  surface? 
Who  can  fail  to  realize  that  a  desirable  social 
order  waits  upon  the  acceptance  of  this  truth  ? 
"Loving  God  is  but  letting  God  love  us." 
And  as  we  love  God  we  shall  love  all  the 
children  of  God,  even  while  they  are  coarse 
and  vulgar  and  unlovely.  For  our  love  for 
God's  children  will  be  like  God's  love  for  us. 
"God  so  loved  us."  We  may  believe  that  we 
are  superior  to  the  degraded  Papuans,  and  we 
are;  we  may  ask  ourselves  why  we  should 
care  anything  about  distant  human  beings, 
who  are  inferior  to  a  well-bred  dog,  and  why 
should  we?  Simply  because  God's  love  for 
us  begets  in  us  a  love  for  them.  The  distance 
that  separates  us  from  the  Papuans  is  infinites- 


The  Man  for  the  Message         29 

imal,  when  compared  with  the  distance  that 
separates  us  from  God.  Yet  may  we  look  up 
devoutly  into  the  face  of  God  and  say,  "  Who 
loved  me  and  gave  Himself  for  me"  /This  is 
the  missionary  spirit,  and  the  only  spirit  that 
will  ever  conquer  the  world.  No  human  be- 
ing is  beyond  our  sympathy.  "  We  are  debt- 
ors both  to  the  Greeks  and  to  the  Barbarians, 
both  to  the  wise  and  to  the  unwise."  "  It 
was  a  fine  touch  in  the  ancient  hymn,"  re- 
marked Dean  Stanley,  "which  described  how 
when  he  landed  at  Puteoli,  St.  Paul  turned 
aside  to  the  hill  of  Pausilipo  to  shed  a  tear 
over  the  tomb  of  Virgil,  and  to  think  of  how 
much  he  might  have  made  of  that  noble  soul 
if  he  had  found  him  still  on  earth: 

"Ad  Maronis  mausoleum 
Ductus.     Fudit  super  eum 
Piae  rorem  lachrymae  — 
Quantum,  dixit,  te  fecissem 
Si  te  vivium  invenissem, 
Poetarum  maxime." 

With  such  a  message,  a  distinct  and  perfect 
revelation,  which  we  find  in  a  sacred  book, 
whose  entire  contents  are  controlled  by  a  di- 
vine inspiration,  what  of  the  man  ?  Who  is 
sufficient  for  such  things  as  these?  In  the 
apostolic  age,  when  the  teaching  and  influence 
of   Jesus   were    fresh   and  influential,    when 


30       The  Man  and  His  Message 

Christendom  was  an  infant  and  Christianity  a 
full-grown  man,  the  message  secured  an  ap- 
propriate messenger  without  difficulty.  The 
lines  were  drawn.  To  be  for  the  gospel  was 
to  be  against  the  world.  Life  was  eloquent. 
In  Jerusalem  they  marvelled,  when  they  saw 
the  boldness  of  Peter  and  John,  and  at  once 
they  referred  their  courage  to  Jesus.  Saul  of 
Tarsus,  who  had  every  opportunity  of  prefer- 
ment as  a  Jew,  counted  all  things  but  loss  for 
the  excellency  of  the  knowledge  of  Christ 
Jesus,  his  Lord.  Humble  artisans,  common 
sailors,  simple-hearted  women  were  carried 
away  by  an  enthusiasm  for  the  Lord,  whom 
they  loved.  Wherever  they  went  they  pro- 
claimed the  message;  artisans,  as  they  worked 
at  their  trade;  sailors,  as  they  steered  the  rude 
barques  toward  the  shores  of  distant  Britain; 
women,  as  they  met  the  obligations  of  servi- 
tude in  the  dwellings  of  proud  Romans.  Ere 
long,  there  were  converts  in  the  Praetorium, 
and  the  apostle  could  send  the  Christian  saluta- 
tions of  some  in  Caesar's  household.  When 
the  message  found  the  messenger,  the  con- 
quest of  the  world  was  assured.  Within 
three  hundred  years  after  the  gospel  went  out 
of  Jerusalem,  in  poverty  and  under  reproach, 
the  cross  was  above  the  eagle,  as  the  symbol 
of  imperialism.  This  is  the  marvel  of  history 
whose    explanation    must    be    found   in   the 


The  Man  for  the  Message         31 

words  of  Jesus,  which  tell  us,  that,  as  he  was 
sent  by  the  father,  so  are  His  disciples  sent  by 
Him,  to  declare  in  character,  in  speech  and  in 
conduct,  the  gracious  love  of  God.  What 
think  you,  would  be  the  result  within  a  dec- 
ade, if  every  disciple  of  our  blessed  Lord 
should  feel  the  pressure  of  a  similar  constraint 
and  should  become  a  gospel  messenger  ? 

In  the  city  of  London,  a  year  ago,  Mr.  Edwin 
Long  exhibited  a  splendid  picture,  which  he  en- 
titled Anno  Domini.  Upon  the  canvas,  there  was 
placed  an  accurate  representation  of  an  Egyp- 
tian temple,  from  whose  spacious  courts  a 
brilliant  procession  of  soldiers,  statesmen, 
philosophers,  artists,  musicians  and  priests 
were  advancing  in  a  triumphal  march.  A 
huge  idol,  which  was  central  in  the  triumph, 
was  the  challenge  and  the  boast  of  heathenism. 
In  the  foreground,  there  was  a  group  of  idlers 
— men,  women  and  children — who  seemed  to 
be  entertained  as  much  by  a  few  jugglers  with 
their  tricks,  as  they  were  by  the  magnificent 
pageant  which  was  the  event  of  the  hour. 
Across  the  pathway  of  the  advance  and  in 
close  proximity  to  the  idlers,  the  artist  placed 
a  patient  ass  whose  back  was  burdened  with 
the  weight  of  a  fair,  young  mother  and  her  in- 
fant child,  and  whose  bridle  was  held  by  the 
strong  hand  of  a  reverent,  thoughtful  man. 
They  were  entering  Egypt  in  flight,  from  the 


32       The  Man  and  His  Message 

wrath  of  King  Herod,  and  they  were  thus 
crossing  the  path  of  an  aggressive  heathenism. 
Then  the  clock  struck,  and  the  year  of  the 
Lord  was  entered  on  the  calendar.  For  the 
littfe  child  in  the  mother's  arms  introduced  an 
era,  which  is  still  rebuking  idolatry,  as  it 
blesses  mankind  with  a  pure  and  spiritual 
faith  in  one  living  and  true  God. 

It  is  interesting  to  consider  the  discipline 
that  was  used  by  Jesus  in  His  training  of  the 
twelve.  For  three  years,  He  devoted  Himself 
to  the  training  of  these  men,  one  of  whom 
was  a  failure,  and  was  never  graduated  from 
the  Apostolic  College.  He  took  them  in  the 
rough  and  refined  them.  They  came  to  Him 
from  their  merchandise  and  fishing.  His  per- 
sonality touched  theirs.  He  gave  them  daily 
instruction.  Their  horizon  was  soon  enlarged. 
They  ceased  to  be  Galilean.  They  became 
cosmopolitan.  New  and  grand  ideas  took 
possession  of  their  minds.  The  old  occupa- 
tions were  outgrown.  Christ  for  the  world 
became  their  ideal.  Obstacles  did  not  dis- 
courage them.  They  learned  that  minorities 
with  God  are  more  powerful  than  majorities 
without  God.  They  became  the  world's  bene- 
factors. They  live  still  in  the  religion,  the 
patriotism,  and  the  philanthropy  of  the  most 
favored  lands. 

The  great  truth  which  was  prominent  in  the 


The  Man  for  the  Message         33 

training  of  the  twelve  was  the  revelation  of 
God.  "  I  have  declared  unto  them  Thy  name," 
said  Jesus,  "and  will  declare  it,  that  the  love 
wherewith  Thou  hast  loved  Me  may  be  in 
them,  and  I  in  them."  This  is  the  supreme 
human  need.  Men  do  not  know  God.  When 
they  do  know  Him,  they  become  His  true  and 
loving  sons.  "What  is  the  effect  of  revela- 
tion ?"  was  the  question  of  the  devout  Thomas 
Erskine  of  Linlathen.  To  which  he  gave  an- 
swer, "It  is  the  disclosure  to  us  of  our  rela- 
tions to  God,  and  to  one  another."  This  is 
what  Jesus  undertook  to  tell  us.  Life  may  be 
lived  from  below,  and  that  is  sensualism;  or 
from  its  environment,  and  that  is  worldli- 
ness;  or  from  above,  and  that  is  spirituality. 
"Except  a  man  be  born  from  above,"  the 
marginal  reading  gives  the  thought,  "he  can- 
not see  the  kingdom  of  God."  But  when  a 
man  is  thus  born,  he  looks  up,  with  faith, 
and  hope,  and  love,  because  he  sees  his  father, 
and  he  looks  around  with  consideration,  and 
sympathy,  and  enthusiasm,  because  he  sees 
his  wayward  brothers  and  sisters,  whom  he  is 
anxious  to  rescue  and  save.  Thus,  the  thought 
of  Jesus  took  possession  of  the  hearts  and 
minds  of  His  disciples,  who  soon  became  men 
for  the  message,  as  they  and  the  message 
were  identical. 
But  this  did  not  mean  the  sacrifice  of  the 


34       The  Man  and  His  Message 

individuality.  When  the  genial  sun  of  the 
summer  morning  looks  down  upon  the  gar- 
dens, it  does  not  demand  that  every  separate 
flower  shall  respond  to  its  greeting,  with  the 
same  tints  and  colors.  It  respects  the  crimson 
of  the  rose,  and  the  violet  of  the  heliotrope, 
and  the  delicate  purity  of  the  lily  of  the  valley. 
There  was  a  Petrine  character  and  utterance, 
and  yet  there  were  also  the  life  and  expression 
of  the  beloved  John.  Unity  with  variety  was 
possible.  The  revelation  may  be  appreciated  in 
one  way  or  another.  Schools  of  thought,  va- 
rieties of  institutions,  activities  of  many  kinds 
are  possible.  There  are  many  members  of  the 
body  whose  adorable  head  is  Jesus  Christ. 

One  of  these  men  of  the  Apostolic  College, 
has  given  a  fine  enumeration  of  the  distinctive 
features  of  a  truly  Christian  life.  It  introduces 
the  man  for  the  message.  "Add  to  your 
faith,"  he  says;  and,  therefore,  he  regards 
faith  as  basal.  This  is  the  vital  principle 
which  lays  hold  of  eternal  life  by  its  union 
with  the  Lord  of  life.  Without  faith,  such 
faith  as  this,  there  can  be  no  life  at  all.  When 
faith  is  exercised,  life  begins. 

"  Virtue,"  is  to  be  added  to  faith,  and  virtue 
is  "the  courage  of  the  saints,"  of  which  we 
have  so  often  heard;  the  endurance,  which  is 
conscious  of  the  invisible,  the  dependence 
upon  God,  whose  recompense  is  assured. 


The  Man  for  the  Message         35 

Then  "knowledge  "  is  named,  of  which  the 
man  for  the  message  can  never  have  too  much, 
when  his  knowledge  is  under  the  control  of 
faith.  Every  portion  of  God's  universe  may 
be  searched  for  the  evidence  of  His  thought, 
in  order  that  He,  our  Father,  may  be  the  bet- 
ter known. 

"Temperance"  is  commended,  and  tem- 
perance is  far  above  abstinence,  inasmuch  as 
the  use  of  the  hand,  the  foot,  or  the  eye,  to  the 
glory  of  God  is  to  be  preferred  to  the  excision 
of  any  member.  Abstinence  may  often  be 
duty,  while  temperance  is  always  law. 

To  "temperance"  add  "patience,"  which  is 
itself  a  refined,  spiritual  sort  of  temperance, 
ruling  the  affections  as  temperance  rules  the 
appetites  and  desires  seen  often  in  men  of 
strong,  resolute  will,  like  David  Livingstone, 
whose  patient  gentleness  with  the  stupid 
ignorance  of  his  African  attendants,  is  a  sub- 
lime tribute  of  devotion  to  the  interests  of  a 
neglected  and  despised  race. 

With  "patience,"  "godliness"  is  asso- 
ciated, and  "godliness"  becomes  the  servant 
of  the  King  of  Kings,  whose  affairs  are  the 
present  business  of  this  mortal  life. 

But  "godliness"  stimulates  "brotherly 
kindness,"  for  while  the  dear  Lord  has  prom- 
ised to  visit  the  sick,  to  feed  the  hungry  and 
to  comfort  the  sorrowing,  He  has  now  no 


36       The  Man  and  His  Message 

visible  lips  for  speech,  no  visible  hands  to 
offer  benefactions,  no  visible  feet  to  carry 
Him  upon  His  errands  of  mercy,  except  those 
of  the  mystical  body,  the  Church,  whose  mem- 
bers are  we.  Often,  it  is  true,  He  ministers 
directly  through  the  activity  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 
But  more  often  He  sends  a  cup  of  cold  water 
in  human  hands,  and  His  disciples  are  His 
representatives. 

Such  "brotherly  kindness"  needs  only  an 
expansion  to  become  a  "charity"  which 
makes  "the  whole  world  kin."  "Now 
abideth  faith,  hope,  charity,  these  three,  but 
the  greatest  of  these  is  charity."  We  have 
found  the  man  for  the  message.  "  He  that 
dwelleth  in  love  dwelleth  in  God,  and  God  in 
him."  The  message  is  no  longer  confined  to 
the  pages  of  a  sacred  book.  It  has  taken 
possession  of  a  man.  Out  of  the  abundance 
of  the  heart,  let  him  now  speak.  "Add  to 
your  faith,  virtue;  and  to  virtue,  knowledge; 
and  to  knowledge,  temperance;  and  to  tem- 
perance, patience;  and  to  patience,  godliness; 
and  to  godliness,  brotherly  kindness;  and  to 
brotherly  kindness,  charity."  The  Apostle's 
enumeration  is  complete.  A  perfect  character 
is  thus  presented.  The  centuries  have  not  yet 
matched  this  splendid  ideal,  save  in  the  per- 
sonality of  the  Man  of  Nazareth.  For  it  is 
possible  to  substitute  one  word  for  the  many 


The  Man  for  the  Message         37 

words  of  St.  Peter's  outline,  and  to  write  in 
letters  of  gold,  as  the  requirement  of  complete 
manhood,  the  familiar  oft-repeated  word, 
Christian.  He  who  is  a  Christian,  has  become 
a  man  in  Christ,  for  Christ,  and  like  Christ. 

A  year  ago,  last  August,  a  friend  of  mine 
was  visiting  Alfred  Tennyson,  in  his  home  at 
Aldworth,  Surrey.  When  they  parted,  after 
many  days  of  delightful  conversation,  my 
friend  asked  the  old  poet  to  give  him  his 
autograph,  with  a  sentiment  from  one  of  his 
poems.  Then  the  sweet  singer,  who  has 
interpreted  to  us  so  many  noble  sentiments, 
and  who  was  unconsciously  very  near  to  the 
veil  that  separates  us  from  the  world  of  song, 
wrote  these  lines  from  Locksley  Hall: 

"  Love  took  up  the  harp  of  life,  and  smote  on  all  the  chords 
with  might ; 
Smote  the  chord  of  self,  that  trembling,  passed  in  music 
out  of  sight." 

It  was  his  benediction.  Could  he  have 
written  a  better  sentiment?  Is  it  not  true 
that,  with  the  disappearance  of  self  and  the 
supremacy  of  love,  Christ  will  be  "all,  and  in 
all "  ? 

If  we  have  now  found  the  man  for  the 
message,  it  is  proper  that  we  should  mention 
a  few  of  the  advantages  of  the  Theological 
Seminary  of  Auburn,  in  the  training  of  such  a 


38        The  Man  and  His  Message 

man.  For  we  are  engaged  in  the  inauguration 
of  a  minister  of  the  gospel,  who  is  to  act  as 
the  President  of  the  Seminary,  and  the  Pro- 
fessor of  Practical  Theology.  As  the  Presi- 
dent, he  must  have  the  supervision  of  a  work, 
whose  desirable  product  is  Christian  manhood, 
and  as  the  Professor  of  Practical  Theology,  he 
must  face  the  world,  whose  appeal  for  Chris- 
tian manhood  is  incessant  and  often  pitiful. 
The  scholar,  who  is  not  conspicuous  for  man- 
hood, is  not  an  honor  to  an  institution.  The 
minister,  who  is  not  more  of  a  man  than  a 
minister,  is  not  welcome.  First  the  man,  then 
the  scholar;  first  the  man,  then  the  minister. 
For  the  message,  if  its  delivery  is  to  be 
apostolic,  must  be  carried  by  a  Christlike 
man. 

Let  me  then,  very  briefly,  tell  you  why  I 
believe  that  the  Seminary  of  Auburn,  has 
preeminent  advantages  for  this  grand  work. 
In  so  doing,  I  shall  tell  you  why  I  rejoice  that 
God  has  sent  me  to  accept  your  cordial  and 
distinguished  invitation  to  labor  with  honored 
and  beloved  associates  in  the  great  work  of 
training  "ambassadors  for  Christ." 

First.  The  environment  of  the  Seminary. 
It  has  its  home  in  a  beautiful  city  of  the  lake 
country  of  the  Empire  State.  A  great  city  is 
distracting.  A  village  is  provincial.  But 
Auburn,  with  its  newspapers,  its  railroads,  its 


The  Man  for  the  Message         39 

telegraphs,  its  industries,  and  its  residences,  is 
large  enough  to  be  "in  touch"  with  every 
important  interest,  and  small  enough  to  be 
favorable  to  study  and  meditation.  The 
Seminary  is  an  intellectual  centre  of  an  in- 
tellectual community.  The  churches  are 
numerous  and  attractive.  Under  the  direc- 
tion of  experienced  pastors,  the  opportunities 
of  Christian  service  possess  a  practical  utility. 

Second.     The  history  of  the  Seminary. 

The  Seminary  was  founded  by  devout, 
liberty-loving,  evangelical  men.  They  believed 
in  the  rights  of  conscience.  They  were  inde- 
pendent and  courageous.  From  the  first  hour, 
they  were  students  of  the  Word  of  God.  An- 
alyses of  "the  water  of  life"  were  made  in 
their  own  laboratory,  which  soon  gained  a 
reputation  for  honest  work.  Attempts  to  com- 
pel them  to  accept  the  analyses  of  other  labora- 
tories were  resisted.  Charges  of  carelessness, 
or  of  unfaithfulness,  or  of  error  were  met  by 
statements  of  belief  that  became  the  Magna 
Charta  of  one  of  the  most  impressive  move- 
ments of  modern  times.  Excision  in  1837,  was 
followed  by  grand  years  of  self-sacrifice,  re- 
vivals and  missionary  enthusiasm,  which  is- 
sued in  an  approval  of  the  "Auburn  Declara- 
tion" by  the  General  Assembly  (O.  S.)  1869. 

Thus  "Auburn"  stands  to-day  for  a  cour- 
age which  is  true  to  its  convictions,  at  any 


40       The  Man  and  His  Message 

cost;  for  a  courage  which  fears  not  the  face 
of  man  in  its  consciousness  of  God's  approval; 
for  a  courage  which  cares  more  for  truth  than 
for  tradition,  and  which  proposes  to  speak  the 
truth  as  the  Holy  Spirit  leads  to  its  apprehen- 
sion in  the  divine  Word.  "Auburn"  stands, 
also,  for  a  toleration,  which  respects  the  opin- 
ions of  other  Christians,  and  which  insists  that 
its  own  opinions  shall  be  tolerated;  which  be- 
lieves that  the  church  is  large  enough  to  hold, 
and  in  peace,  many  schools  of  inquiry  and  of 
thought;  which  is  convinced  that  they  who 
love  the  Lord  should  compose  their  differences 
by  prayer  and  conference,  rather  than  by 
charges,  discipline  and  votes.  "Auburn" 
stands  for  a  catholicity  which  discovers  a 
brother  in  every  Christian.  "A  Christian 
who  is  good  enough  for  Christ,  is  good  enough 
for  you  and  me."  "  Auburn  "  stands  for  con- 
secration, for  a  practical  ministry,  for  the 
camp  and  the  battlefield.  "Auburn"  stands 
for  an  intelligent  loyalty  to  the  standards  and 
discipline  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  Those 
standards,  in  their  "essential  and  necessary 
truths"  are  heartily  approved.  That  disci- 
pline, so  far  as  it  is  constitutional  and  just,  is 
unhesitatingly  accepted.  But  the  standards  are 
not  infallible,  as  the  Word  of  God  is,  and  the 
discipline  is  sometimes  sadly  human.  When 
there  is  a  recognition  of  any  departure  from 


The  Man  for  the  Message         41 

the  tenets  of  righteousness  and  love,  "Au- 
burn," true  to  the  honored  past,  must  be  al- 
ways on  the  side  of  the  Word  of  God  and  of 
equity,  believing  ever  as  an  honored  citizen  of 
this  community,  the  Hon.  Wm.  H.  Seward, 
once  said,  that  there  is  "a  higher  law,"  to 
which  every  human  interpretation  and  enact- 
ment must  bow.  Thus,  there  is  an  "Auburn  " 
thought,  and  an  "Auburn"  spirit,  and  an 
"Auburn"  history,  which  are  the  precious 
legacy  of  an  illustrious  past.  "Auburn  "  needs 
not  to  rush  into  conflict,  in  order  to  be  en- 
rolled among  the  valiant  soldiers  of  the  Lord. 
Scars  on  the  breast  are  evidences  of  heroism, 
and  veterans  can  afford  to  be  patient  until  the 
Captain's  orders  are  distinctly  heard.  This  is 
the  time  to  march,  to  suffer,  and,  if  God  so 
orders,  to  die. 

Third.  The  curriculum.  This  has  been 
carefully  selected,  and  the  instruction  is  given, 
by  men,  "whose  praise  is  in  all  the  churches." 
I  will  not  name  them  in  this  presence  where 
their  names  are  household  words.  But  I  may 
say  that  it  is  an  honor  to  be  their  colleague; 
and  especially  do  I  count  it  a  privilege  to  be 
the  fellow-laborer  of  my  lifelong  friend,  from 
whose  lips  in  the  closest  friendship,  I  have 
never  known  an  unworthy  utterance  to  fall; 
and  in  whose  heart  I  ever  feel  as  safe  as  David 
did  with  the  faithful  Jonathan.     These  men 


42        The  Man  and  His  Message 

are  worthy  successors  of  the  noble  men  whose 
names  are  starred;  and  of  the  beloved  and 
honored  triumvirate,  unstarred  as  yet,  but  en- 
joying a  well-earned  retirement,  after  years  of 
patient,  self-denying  toil. 

Fourth.  The  personal  contact  of  teachers 
and  pupils.  This  is  an  important  element  in 
education.  President  Garfield's  remark  about 
a  bench  with  Doctor  Mark  Hopkins  on  it  being 
a  good  enough  college  for  him  has  in  it  more 
than  a  grain  of  sense.  It  takes  a  man  to  make 
a  man.  The  manhood  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth, 
explains  the  manhood  of  the  sons  of  Zebedee. 
But  that  manhood  "touched."  Friendship  is 
possible  here.  Our  class-rooms  are  within  the 
limitation  of  friendship.  We  can  know  and 
love  one  another. 

Fifth.  The  Alumni  of  the  Seminary.  They 
are  an  inspiration.  What  they  have  done, 
the  men,  who  are  now  students,  may  do.  The 
work  accomplished  is  an  earnest  of  grander 
work  to  be  accomplished.  "Auburn"  has 
cared  for  the  average  man;  and  in  so  doing, 
has  given  the  man  of  exceptional  ability,  the 
best  equipment  for  special  work.  Whenever 
there  has  been  a  Chrysostom  in  a  class,  he  has 
been  heard  from ;  while  churches  and  mission- 
stations  have  rejoiced  to  welcome  pastors  and 
missionaries  who  have  been  educated  here. 
After  the  brief  course  is  finished,  forth  go  our 


The  Man  for  the  Message        43 

students,  carrying  the  Bible  in  their  hands,  and 
Jesus  Christ  in  their  hearts,  ready  for  hardship 
or  for  sacrifice,  rejoicing  that  they  can  respond 
to  the  appeal  of  the  world  and  obey  the  com- 
mand of  our  Lord.  And,  as  we  bid  them, 
year  by  year,  our  fond  good-bye,  it  shall  be 
with  the  charge,  reiterated  again  and  again: 

"  Ye  Christian  heralds !     Go,  proclaim 
Salvation  through  Immanuel's  name." 

Gentlemen  of  the  Board  of  Commissioners 
and  Trustees,  you  have  been  pleased  to  invite 
me  to  undertake  important  duties  in  the  Sem- 
inary which  is  under  your  control.  I  accept 
the  responsibilities  of  these  offices,  and  am 
grateful  to  you  for  your  confidence.  I  need 
not  say  to  you  that  my  presence  here  will 
prove  a  disappointment  and  a  failure,  if  God 
withholds  His  blessing.  He  is  my  dependence 
as  He  is  yours.  May  I  not,  therefore,  in  clos- 
ing this  address,  adopt  the  language  of  the 
Apostle  Paul,  which  he  used  when  he  was 
writing  to  Christian  brethren  of  Rome  ?  For 
he,  as  you  will  remember,  said  to  them  in  his 
letter:  "I  beseech  you,  for  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ's  sake,  and  for  the  love  of  the  Spirit, 
that  ye  strive  together  with  me  in  your  prayers 
to  God  for  me." 


"Power  From  on  High" 


"Power  From  on  High" 

A  small  class  of  theological  students  once 
met,  with  their  Teacher,  upon  the  slope  of  a 
mountain.     They  had  just  completed  a  three 
years'  course  of  instruction,  during  which  they 
had  considered  the  essential  truths  of  religion, 
looking  at  old  faiths  in  a  new  light,  and  study- 
ing ancient  predictions,  whose  evident  fulfill- 
ment, in  current  events,  had  been  a  perpetual 
surprise.     The  day  of  their  graduation  had  ar- 
rived.    On  the  slope  of  the  mountain,  their 
Teacher  was  to  leave  them.     With  his  farewell 
address,  their  student  life  would  close,  and  the 
active  service,  for  which  they  had  been  prepar- 
ing, would  begin.    The  occasion  was  impress- 
ive.    Behind  them  were  the  years  of  fellow- 
ship and  of  study.      Before  them  were  the 
years  of    hardship  and  of  sacrifice.     Beside 
them  was  their  Teacher. 

The  farewell  address  was  brief,  but  per- 
tinent. Curiosity  was  rebuked.  Patience  was 
encouraged.  Duty  was  enjoyed.  Then  their 
Teacher  directed  them  to  return  to  the  city, 
which  was  on  the  other  side  of  the  mountain, 
and  there  to  wait.  With  all  the  instruction 
that  they  had  received,  and  with  all  the  ad- 
47 


48        The  Man  and  His  Message 

vantages  that  they  had  enjoyed,  they  were  not 
ready  for  work.  One  thing  was  lacking,  and 
for  that  one  thing,  they  must  wait. 

Confidence  in  their  Teacher  sustained  those 
theological  students  for  ten  days.  They  held 
meetings  for  prayer  and  conference;  they 
undertook  to  perfect  an  organization;  and 
they  drew  to  themselves  many  sympathizing 
friends.  But  they  made  no  impression  upon 
the  city;  and  they  ventured  upon  no  activity 
that  would  test  their  strength.  They  were 
anticipating  "power  from  on  high,"  because 
their  Teacher  had  said:  "Ye  shall  receive 
power,  after  that  the  Holy  Ghost  is  come  upon 
you." 

The  Day  of  Pentecost  conferred  the  prom- 
ised blessing,  and  with  it  a  persuasive  elo- 
quence that  called  into  the  membership  of  the 
Church  "  about  three  thousand  souls."  Then 
those  men,  and  others  like  them,  were  grandly 
equipped  for  service,  and  the  world  speedily 
realized  that  the  crucified  Nazarene  is  the 
triumphant  Saviour  and  Lord  of  men. 

This  same  "  power  from  on  high  "  had  been 
the  dependence  of  their  Teacher,  who  did  not 
enter  upon  his  public  ministry,  until  the  Dove 
had  hovered  over  him  at  the  Jordan,  and  the 
Holy  Ghost  had  taken  possession  of  his  soul. 
His  superb  endowments,  his  exceptional 
ability,  and  his  marvellous  personal  magnetism 


"  Power  from  on  High  "  49 

were  not  adequate  to  the  great  work  that  was 
to  engage  his  attention.  He  waited  for 
"  power  from  on  high."  When  that  was  re- 
ceived, three  years  sufficed  to  change  the  his- 
tory of  the  world. 

Think  it  not  strange,  therefore,  that  the  em- 
phasis of  this  solemn  hour  is  placed  upon  a 
familiar  truth.  The  theological  students  of 
to-day  may  be  satisfied  to  stand  with  the  the- 
ological students  of  the  Apostolic  College,  and 
their  renowned  Teacher.  "Power  from  on 
high  "  is  the  condition  of  success  now,  as  it 
was  then.  For  it,  there  should  be  earnest, 
prayerful  waiting;  while  with  it,  there  will  be 
those  blessed  accomplishments,  that  will  make 
heaven  melodious,  as  the  angels  are  kept  sing- 
ing, because  unnumbered  multitudes  of  sin- 
ners are  turning  from  their  sins. 

The  dignity  of  human  nature  is  evident, 
when  it  is  considered  that  human  nature  can 
receive  "power  from  on  high."  A  diamond 
can  receive  the  sunlight,  and  can  reveal  an  un- 
suspected brilliancy,  when  it  is  thus  illumi- 
nated. But  no  diamond  can  receive  "  power 
from  on  high."  The  lilies  of  the  field  can  re- 
ceive the  sunlight,  and  can  respond  to  the  be- 
nign greeting  with  every  delicate  shade  of 
color.  But  no  lily  can  receive  "power  from 
on  high."  A  dog  or  a  horse  can  receive  in- 
struction   and   sympathy  and  love,   and  the 


50       The  Man  and  His  Message 

higher  animals  may  thus  become  the  friends 
of  man.  But  no  dog  or  horse  can  ever  receive 
"power  from  on  high,"  as  the  degraded 
Papuan  or  stupid  Hottentot  may.  This  is  a 
distinction  that  places  humanity  within  the 
family  of  God.  "No  creature  being,"  Dr. 
Bushnell  once  remarked,  "can  excel,  in  order, 
a  soul,  so  configured  to  God,  as  to  be  inspir- 
able  by  Him,  able  to  receive  His  impulse,  fall 
into  His  movement,  rest  in  His  ends,  and  be 
finally  perfected  in  the  eternity  of  His  joys." 

In  the  church  of  Francesco  di  Paola  at 
Naples,  there  is  a  colossal  statue  of  Augustine. 
The  eyes  are  directed  to  heaven.  The  finger 
of  the  right  hand  points  thither.  The  left  arm 
supports  a  volume,  which  bears  the  title  of  his 
immortal  work.  "De  civitate  Dei."  On  the 
pedestal  is  inscribed  a  passage  from  the  writ- 
ings of  the  great  theologian,  in  these  words: 
"Ibi  vacbimus.  Ibi  videbimus.  Ibi  gaude- 
bimus.  Ibi  laudabimus.  Et  hoc  erit  in  fine, 
sine  fine."  "There  we  shall  be  at  liberty. 
There  we  shall  see.  There  we  shall  rejoice. 
There  we  shall  adore.  And  this  will  be  in  the 
end  without  end." 

"The  spirit  of  man  is  the  candle  of  the 
Lord,"  is  the  philosophical  statement  of  a  He- 
brew Proverb.  "  Thou  wilt  light  my  candle," 
is  the  grateful  estimate  of  a  devout  Psalmist. 
"Place  the   lighted   candle  on   a  candlestick 


"Power  from  on  High"  51 

that  the  household  may  have  light,"  is  the 
command  of  the  Teacher  who  gave  the  prom- 
ise of  "power  from  on  high."  For  when 
"power  from  on  high"  touches  the  spirit  of 
man,  there  is  light,  which  may  be  carried  into 
the  dark  places  of  the  earth,  to  illuminate  that 
darkness.  Men  everywhere  are  in  need  of 
inspiration.  God  is  indispensable  to  man. 
Since  Jesus  Christ  has  died,  and  triumphed 
over  death  and  the  grave,  and  ascended  to  the 
throne  of  universal  empire,  the  Holy  Spirit, 
who  is  this  "power  from  on  high  "  has  been 
using  the  gospel  to  spiritualize  life;  and  the 
privilege  is  ours,  my  brethren,  of  cooperating 
with  the  blessed  Spirit  in  transforming,  in  en- 
nobling, in  expanding,  in  glorifying  this  hu- 
manity, which  has  been  defiled  and  brutalized 
by  sin.  Only  thus  can  men  be  saved;  and 
with  this  estimate,  the  Christian  minister  be- 
comes "an  ambassador  for  Christ,"  represent- 
ing the  Son  of  God,  and  sustained  by  the  spirit 
of  God. 

But  if  the  work  of  a  Christian  minister  has 
this  definite,  spiritual  outlook,  if  the  endeavor 
is  to  bring  "power  from  on  high"  into  the 
lives  of  men,  so  that  they  may  be  spiritual, 
and  no  longer  carnal,  what  must  be  said  of  his 
own  personal  needs  and  desires  ?  Must  he  not 
be  seeking  and  welcoming  this  "power"? 
Most  certainly!     Upon  this,  he  must  depend 


52        The  Man  and  His  Message 

for  the  light,  which  will  enable  him  to  "search 
the  Scriptures,"  and  to  place  each  truth  in  its 
true  perspective,  and  to  apply  truth  to  his  own 
experience.  During  the  years  of  academic 
and  professional  study,  the  mind  accepts  truth 
very  much  as  the  miller  accepts  the  grist  that 
is  left  at  the  door  of  his  mill.  Bag  after  bag 
of  corn  or  wheat  is  taken  in,  and  piled  on  the 
floor  of  the  granary.  By  and  by,  the  grist 
will  be  ground.  Just  now,  however,  the  mill 
is  not  running,  while  the  miller  is  busily  en- 
gaged in  receiving  what  is  left  him.  No  stu- 
dent can  have  a  complete,  systematic  concep- 
tion of  truth,  when  he  goes  out  to  his  work, 
after  the  student  life  is  finished.  He  may 
think  that  he  has;  and  the  conceit  of  his 
thinking  so  will  interfere  sadly  with  proper 
inquiry.  For  gradually,  and  as  the  years  mul- 
tiply with  their  sorrows  and  their  joys,  truth 
will  open  to  the  appreciation  of  the  intelli- 
gence, will  appeal  to  the  heart,  will  move  the 
will,  and  will  thus  form  character.  There  is 
progress  in  the  apprehension  of  truth,  which 
is  as  apparent  now,  as  it  was,  when  St.  Paul 
wrote  his  Epistles.  For  who  can  fail  to  dis- 
cover the  advance  in  the  apprehension  of  truth 
that  separates  the  Epistles  of  the  Imprison- 
ment from  the  First  Epistle  to  the  Thessalo- 
nians  ? 
This  apprehension  of  truth  meets  the  prom- 


"Power  from  on  High"  53 

ise  of  our  Divine  Lord,  who  said:  "when  He, 
the  Spirit  of  Truth,  is  come,  He  will  guide  you 
into  all  truth:  for  He  shall  not  speak  of  Him- 
self, but  whatever  He  shall  hear  that  shall  He 
speak,  and  He  will  shew  you  things  to  come." 
No  minister,  therefore,   however  gifted  as  a 
student,  can  hope  to  use  truth  effectively,  if  he 
is  not  guided  by  the  Holy  Spirit.     He  may 
talk  about  truth.     He  may  rehearse  the  lessons 
of  the  class-room.     He  may  be  a  man  of  pro- 
found scholarship.     But  he  cannot  make  full 
proof  of  his  ministry,  because  "the  things  of 
God  knoweth  no  man  but  the  Spirit  of^God." 
These  things  "  are  spiritually  discerned."     Re- 
tirement, meditation,  prayer  are  the  essential 
conditions  of  effectiveness;  for,  in  such  sea- 
sons, the  Holy  Spirit  is  made  welcome.     God's 
elect  servants  are  usually  called  aside,  after 
they  have  been  anointed,  that  they  may  rest 
awhile.     Here   we  place   the  years  that  the 
great  Hebrew  Leader  passed  in  the  Desert  of 
Horeb,  before  he  organized  and  conducted,  the 
Exodus:  here,  also,  we  locate  those  mysterious 
years  in  Arabia  that  preceded  the  missionary 
activity  of  the  Apostle  Paul:  and  here,  too,  we 
interpret  the  significance  of   the  days  in  the 
wilderness,  that  separated  the  Baptism  and  the 
public  career  of    Jesus   of    Nazareth.      Such 
periods  are  not  lost  time.     The  sword  of  the 
spirit  must  have  the  sword  arm  of  the  Knight 


54        The  Man  and  His  Message 

of  the  Cross;  and  that  arm  must  be  disci- 
plined. The  short,  sharp  and  decisive  cam- 
paign waits  upon  the  drill  of  the  camp.  The 
needle-gun  was  the  expression  of  an  artisan's 
patient  labor  in  the  quiet  work  shop.  Yet  the 
needle-gun  changed  the  map  of  Europe  in  a 
war  of  a  few  weeks.  If  the  ministry  is  inef- 
fective, it  would  be  well  to  call  a  halt,  and 
to  devote  an  entire  season  to  fasting,  humili- 
ation, meditation  and  prayer.  This  was  done 
in  Scotland,  during  the  year  1651  a.  d.,  and 
immediately  thereafter  a  revival  of  religion 
swept  over  the  land.  Devotional  hours  must 
be  respected.  Neander's  motto  should  be 
ours;  "Pectus  est  quod  theologum  facit." 
When  we  have  "an  unction  from  the  Holy 
One,"  we  may  hope  to  know  all  things.  "  It 
is  not  opinions  that  man  needs,"  says  a  devout 
writer  of  our  own  time,  "  it  is  truth.  It  is  not 
theology:  it  is  God.  It  is  not  religion:  it  is 
Christ.  It  is  not  literature  and  science:  but 
the  knowledge  of  the  free  love  of  God  in  the 
gift  of  His  only  begotten  Son."  You  and  I 
can  never  meet  that  need,  without  "power 
from  on  high." 

Such  "  power"  will  equip  the  minister  with 
spiritual  momentum,  which  is  the  earnest  of 
endurance,  industry  and  heroism.  "None  of 
these  things  move  me,"  was  the  remark  of 
one,  who  was  pressing  forward  to  meet  bonds 


"  Power  from  on  High  "  55 

and  imprisonment,  while  the  stormy  life  of  an 
old  Hebrew  prophet  ended  in  a  whirlwind, 
with  horses  and  a  chariot  of  fire,  as  a  celestial 
equipage. 

Momentum  has  been  defined  as  "  the  quan- 
tity of  motion  in  a  moving  body."  In  the 
common  experiences  of  walking  or  running, 
motion  is  accumulated.  The  runner,  who 
wishes  to  make  a  long  jump  will  increase  his 
speed  before  he  leaps:  and  the  rider  who 
wishes  to  cross  a  broad  ditch  will  put  spurs  to 
his  horse.  When  motion  is  suddenly  arrested, 
as  in  a  collision,  the  momentum  will  appear, 
because  a  shock  will  be  felt,  and  objects  will 
have  a  tendency  to  keep  moving.  For  the 
same  reason,  a  steam  carriage  will  run  a  long 
distance  after  the  steam  has  been  shut  off. 

This  principle  of  physics  is  operative  in 
every  sphere  of  human  life.  Human  beings 
do  not  instantly  lose  the  influences  that  have 
gained  control  of  them.  The  descent  into  vice 
and  degradation  is  never  a  plunge,  although  it 
often  seems  to  be.  The  rapids  are  above  the 
cataract.  Judas  Iscariot  startles  his  compan- 
ions by  the  betrayal  and  suicide.  Yet  the  mo- 
mentum of  his  sinister  character  has  been  in 
that  direction  from  the  beginning.  Great 
crimes,  like  great  rivers,  are  distant  from  their 
sources.  On  the  other  hand,  virtue  is  heredi- 
tary.    Pure  blood  explains  thrift,  usefulness 


56        The  Man  and  His  Message 

and  honor.  The  divine  promise  is  to  children's 
children.  Back  of  the  youthful  Timothy  are 
the  grandmother  Lois  and  the  mother  Eunice. 
Abraham  is  still  the  father  of  the  faithful.  As 
grace  abounds,  momentum  is  accumulated. 
But  the  momentum,  let  us  remind  ourselves, 
is  not  perpetual  motion.  Activity  exhausts  it. 
Then  is  the  time  of  peril.  Esau  sold  his  birth- 
right for  "a  morsel  of  meat,"  when  he  was 
faint. 

The  highest  expression  of  this  principle  is 
found  in  the  kingdom  of  grace.  For  grace 
originates,  nurtures  and  sustains  the  "  holiness, 
without  which  no  man  shall  see  the  Lord." 
This  grace  is  stored  in  the  soul  very  much  as 
electricity  is  stored  in  a  storage-battery.  Just 
as  soon  as  the  mechanism  of  a  holy  life  begins 
to  work,  there  are  drafts  upon  the  supply  of 
grace.  If  more  grace  is  not  secured,  the  mech- 
anism will  stop.  The  grace  that  was  given  at 
the  beginning  of  a  Christian  experience  will 
not  answer  the  requirements  of  a  pastorate. 
In  the  strength  of  the  food  that  God  gave  him, 
as  he  rested  beside  the  juniper-tree,  Elijah  went 
for  forty  days  and  forty  nights.  But  you  and 
I  are  not  Elijah.  In  this  interest,  we  resemble 
the  Hebrew,  who  gathered  manna,  day  by 
day:  and  our  prayer  must  ever  be:  "Give  us 
this  day  our  daily  bread,"  with  an  emphasis  on 
the  daily. 


"  Power  from  on  High  "  57 

A  brief  consideration  of  the  nature  and  char- 
acteristics of  grace  will  assist  to  an  understand- 
ing of  spiritual  momentum.  Grace  is  the  re- 
demptive love  of  God.  When  God  loves  a 
sinner,  in  the  atoning  sacrifice  of  His  Son,  our 
Saviour,  Jesus  Christ,  that  is  grace.  Grace 
forms  the  Christian  graces.  But  the  grace  is 
not  the  graces.  Between  the  grace  and  the 
graces,  there  must  always  be  the  life  of  a  sin- 
ner, just  as  there  must  be  the  life  of  a  plant  be- 
tween the  inorganic  matter  and  the  flowers 
and  the  fruit:  or  the  life  of  an  animal  between 
the  grass  of  the  fields  and  the  bone  and  the 
muscle,  the  flesh  and  the  blood  that  are  fed 
thereby.  I  do  not  know  that  holy  angels  could 
receive  and  assimilate  the  grace  of  God.  But 
I  do  know  that  sinful  men  can.  When  they 
make  that  grace  their  own,  there  is  an  assured 
promise  of  growth.  This  growth,  like  every 
other  growth,  is  an  expression  of  an  energy, 
which  is  dynamic,  having  the  power  of  selec- 
tion and  of  increase.  An  acorn  does  not  con- 
tain all  the  energy  that  is  apparent  in  the  stout 
trunk,  the  spreading  branches,  and  the  myriad 
leaves  of  the  oak.  But  it  has,  in  itself,  the 
power  of  selection,  that  can  appropriate  from 
the  earth  and  the  atmosphere  whatever  it  re- 
quires; and  thus  the  tiny  acorn  becomes  the 
giant  oak. 

With  the  acceptance  of  grace,  Jesus  Christ 


58       The  Man  and  His  Message 

becomes  the  dynamic  power  of  life:  and  con- 
tinues thereafter  to  exert  His  influence,  in  order 
that  the  soul  may  be  filled  with  all  the  fullness 
of  God.  "For  it  pleased  the  Father  that  in 
Him  should  all  fullness  dwell  ";  "and  in  Him 
dwelleth  all  the  fulness  of  the  Godhead  bod- 
ily ";  "  and  of  His  fullness  have  all  we  received, 
and  grace  for  grace."  The  beginning  of  spir- 
itual momentum  is  His  presence;  while  the 
maintenance  and  the  increase  of  spiritual  mo- 
mentum is  "  Christ  in  you,  the  hope  of  glory." 
Instantly  the  importance  of  routine  observ- 
ance, in  the  use  of  the  means  of  grace,  is  evi- 
dent: and,  also,  the  necessity  of  exceptional 
dependence  upon  "power  from  on  high." 
The  routine  observance  keeps  up  the  momen- 
tum, and  the  exceptional  dependence  adds  to 
it  in  case  of  an  emergency.  The  engineer 
supplies  momentum  to  the  train  by  steadily 
feeding  the  fire  in  the  boiler.  Then  if  there  is 
a  sudden  demand  for  speed,  he  quickens  the 
fire,  and  uses  more  steam.  Daniel,  an  eminent 
statesman,  had  regular  hours  for  prayer  and  a 
definite  place;  and  when  the  time  of  trial  an- 
nounced itself,  Daniel  was  heroic;  while  Ne- 
hemiah,  a  man  of  unusual  executive  force,  re- 
cruited his  courage  and  gained  wisdom,  as  he 
stood  at  the  table  of  Artaxerxes  by  an  appeal 
to  God.  "  So  I  prayed  to  the  God  of  heaven, 
and  said  unto  the  King."     Prayer  cannot  be 


"  Power  from  on  High  "  59 

left  to  the  bidding  of  impulse,  nor  can  it  be 
limited  to  times  and  seasons.  He  who  prays 
only  when  he  feels  like  praying  will  find  that 
his  feelings  prompt  him  less  and  less  frequently 
to  pray.  The  momentum  must  be  kept  up; 
and  daily  prayer  is  a  necessity.  Then  ever  and 
always,  God  is  near  and  attentive.  The  unex- 
pected is  in  His  hands.  He  can  supply  all  you 
need.  Faith  is  wisdom,  as  well  as  peace.  A 
savage  may  think  that  a  locomotive  is  a  demon, 
but  a  man  of  intelligence  knows  that  mechan- 
ism and  steam  are  on  the  rails.  Christian  per- 
severance, like  that  of  St.  Paul;  Christian  forti- 
tude, like  that  of  Stephen;  Christian  fidelity, 
like  that  of  the  aged  seer  of  Patmos;  Christian 
heroism,  like  that  of  brave  old  Polycarp  of 
Smyrna;  Christian  patience,  like  that  of  David 
Livingstone  in  Africa;  and  Christian  hope,  like 
that  of  Mackay  of  Uganda,  are  not  fortuitous. 
They  are  momentum.  That  is  all.  "Power 
from  on  high"  in  life.  Spiritual  dynamics. 
The  Christian's  private  life  tells  us  how  they 
came  to  be. 

Thus  "power  from  on  high"  is  the  pledge 
of  strength,  comfort,  hope  and  joy.  "  Another 
Comforter"  has  taken  the  place  of  the  visible 
Christ.  The  economy  has  been  spiritualized. 
The  Holy  Spirit  enters  the  soul,  to  abide  there 
forever.  This  is  our  confidence:  and  with  this 
confidence,  we  venture  to  go  forth  to  the  work. 


60       The  Man  and  His  Message 

God  is  for  us — that  is  good.  God  is  with  us — 
that  is  better.  God  is  in  us — that  is  best  of  all. 
Let  us  then,  my  dear  brethren,  believe  in 
"power  from  on  high."  It  is  a  blessed  reality. 
The  word  of  God  assures  us  that  it  shall  be 
ours.  The  testimony  of  men  and  women  con- 
firms the  word  of  God.  Perhaps,  "the  Spirit 
itself  beareth  witness  with  our  spirit."  "I  be- 
lieve in  the  Holy  Ghost,"  is  Bible,  creed  and 
experience— all  three. 

"Whoso  hath  felt  the  power  of  the  Highest 
Cannot  confound,  nor  doubt,  him,  nor  deny. 
Yea,  with  one  voice,  oh  world !  tho'  thou  deniest, 
Stand  thou  on  that  side,  for  on  this  am  I." 

"We,  also,  believe,  and  therefore  speak." 
"Let  the  redeemed  of  the  Lord,  say  so." 
Speak  out.  "If  we  live  in  the  Spirit,  let  us 
also  walk  in  the  Spirit."  Men  can  only  know 
that  you  have  received  "power  from  on 
high,"  as  they  observe  your  character  and  con- 
duct. A  temple  of  the  Holy  Ghost  should 
never  be  silent,  dark  and  cheerless.  Worship 
is  appropriate  to  a  temple;  and  love,  joy, 
peace,  long-suffering,  gentleness,  goodness, 
meekness  and  temperance  are  the  sacred  mel- 
ody of  this  divine  indwelling.  "Flowers," 
says  Longfellow,  "are  the  animate  spring- 
time." The  beauty  of  a  June  morning  is  a 
calendar  in  itself.     No  one  need  be  told  that 


"Power  from  on  High"  61 

summer  has  come.  A  holy,  loving,  soul-sav- 
ing, gentle,  zealous  minister  of  Jesus  Christ  is 
the  gospel  incarnate.  No  one  can  deny  that 
God  is  present,  when  His  ministers  are  faith- 
ful; for  their  faithfulness  must  be  referred  to 
"  power  on  high." 

Dear  brethren,  our  work  for  you  is  finished. 
We  have  endeavored  to  prepare  you  to  be 
able  ministers  of  the  New  Testament.  To 
our  endeavors,  you  have  responded  cordially. 
Our  fellowship  with  you  has  been  precious. 
We  send  you  forth,  from  this  venerable  insti- 
tution, with  high  anticipations.  In  the  name 
of  my  honored  associates,  your  teachers,  I 
pledge  you  sympathy,  love  and  prayers.  May 
you  ever  enjoy  "  power  from  on  high,"  to  en- 
able you  to  think  clearly,  to  live  holily,  to  act 
bravely,  and  to  die  calmly,  in  the  faith  of  our 
blessed  Lord !  It  is  an  auspicious  circumstance, 
that  the  next  Lord's  Day,  your  first  Sabbath 
after  graduation,  is  Whitsuntide.  May  it 
bring  you  a  Pentecostal  equipment!  Then  go, 
as  did  that  small  class  of  theological  students, 
whose  Teacher  was  the  Nazarene,  to  preach 
the  gospel,  to  organize  the  Church,  to  com- 
fort the  saints,  to  endure,  to  suffer,  and  to 
die;  that,  with  them,  you  may  live,  and  reign, 
and  rejoice  forever  in  the  immediate  presence 
of  their  Teacher,  who  is  our  Saviour,  Inter- 
cessor, Lord  and  King. 


"Ambassadors  on  Behalf  of  Christ" 


"  Ambassadors  on  Behalf  of  Christ " 

Three  questions  arise,  as  a  student  enters 
upon  the  active  work  of  the  Christian  ministry. 
For  there  is  a  desire  to  know  what  sort  of  a 
man  he  should  be,  what  sort  of  a  message  he 
should  proclaim,  and  what  sort  of  a  depend- 
ence he  should  enjoy;  or,  in  other  words,  con- 
sideration is  given  to  character  and  conduct, 
to  doctrine  and  speech,  and  to  confidence  and 
hope. 

The  Christian  minister  is  to  be  a  man  among 
men,  with  his  feet  upon  the  earth,  and  his 
hands  outstretched  toward  human  sin  and 
misery.  His  service  is  not  angelic,  and  Gabriel 
is  not  his  chief.  Violence  and  pain  and  sor- 
row are  the  occasions  of  his  activity.  If  these 
were  not  realities,  he  would  not  be  a  demand. 
But  so  long  as  these  are  present  in  the  life  of 
the  world,  so  long  will  there  be  a  call  for  the 
Christian  minister. 

As  a  man  among  men,  the  Christian  min- 
ister is  a  representative.  He  is  not  engaged 
in  his  own  work,  nor  is  he  seeking  to  promote 
his  own  interests.  Behind  him,  and  above 
him,  there  is  an  authority,  whose  commands 
he  is  to  obey,  and  whose  support  he  is  to 
claim.    That  authority  is  visible.     It  proceeds 

65 


66        The  Man  and  His  Message 

from  the  Infinite  Ruler  of  the  Universe,  who 
is  ''the  living  and  true  God."  He  is  pleased 
to  use  men  as  His  representatives,  and  to  ac- 
complish His  purposes  through  their  instru- 
mentality. 

With  a  delicate  touch  of  humor,  the  Apostle 
Paul,  when  he  was  a  prisoner  of  the  Pretorian 
Guard,  informed  the  Christians  of  Ephesus 
that  he  was  an  ambassador.  At  that  time,  the 
Rome  of  the  Caesars  was  a  city  of  ambassa- 
dors. They  were  present  from  all  parts  of  the 
world,  and  were  living  in  great  luxury.  It 
was  their  ambition  to  impress  the  Romans 
with  the  wealth  and  power  of  the  monarchs, 
who  had  sent  them  to  the  Imperial  City. 
Their  persons  were  sacred.  Especial  privi- 
leges were  theirs.  An  indignity,  or  an  insult, 
offered  to  one  of  them  would  be  resented  in- 
stantly, and  might  provoke  a  war.  Alexander 
the  Great  had  destroyed  Tyre,  because  his  am- 
bassador had  been  abused;  and  the  Roman 
Laws  declared  that  if  any  one  should  assault 
the  ambassadors  of  an  enemy,  he  should  be 
adjudged  guilty  of  a  breach  of  International 
Law. 

Under  such  conditions,  and  with  these  am- 
bassadorial surroundings,  St.  Paul  wrote  to  his 
friends,  that  he  was  "an  ambassador  in 
bonds."  He  must  have  smiled,  as  he  did  so. 
"His  own  hired  dwelling"  was  not  palatial, 


"Ambassadors  on  Behalf  of  Christ "    67 

and  the  Emperor  had  disregarded  the  Law  of 
Nations  in  his  treatment  of  this  distinguished 
representative,  who  was  then  in  chains.  Yet 
the  Apostle  was  faithful  to  his  King,  and  he 
never  failed  to  confess  that  the  promise  of  sup- 
port had  been  fulfilled  in  every  emergency  of 
his  life.  For,  at  another  time,  when  he  was 
at  liberty,  he  had  made  a  similar  announce- 
ment; and  the  Church  of  Corinth  had  under- 
stood his  declaration,  that  he  was  "an  am- 
bassador on  behalf  of  Christ." 

That  declaration  is  the  distinction  of  the 
Christian  ministry.  A  man  can  ask  for  no 
higher  rank,  can  wish  for  no  grander  service, 
can  look  for  no  more  secure  dependence.  To 
be  "an  ambassador  on  behalf  of  Christ"  is  to 
enjoy  a  privilege  that  is  not  granted  to  sinless 
angels.  Yet  that  privilege  is  ours;  and  it  must 
seem  especially  great  and  attractive  to  stu- 
dents, who  have,  long  time,  been  preparing 
for  the  service,  which  it  presents. 

"Give  me  a  thought  to  live  by,"  was  the  ex- 
clamation of  a  German,  who  realized  that 
thought  is  essential  to  life.  Life,  without 
thought,  is  aimless.  Reuben-like,  it  is  as  un- 
stable as  water,  and  cannot  excel.  Life,  with 
a  base  thought,  is  "earthly,  sensual,  devilish." 
While  life,  with  a  noble  thought,  is  heroic  and 
sublime.  Find  out  what  a  man's  thought  is, 
and  you  will  know  the  man. 


68        The  Man  and  His  Message 

Perhaps,  in  the  declaration  of  the  Apostle, 
"  a  thought  to  live  by  "  may  be  found,  that  will 
answer  the  three  questions  already  raised. 

For, 

First:— As  "an  ambassador  on  behalf  of 
Christ,"  the  Christian  minister  is  to  represent 
the  King  and  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven,  and  thus 
he  may  know  what  sort  of  a  man  he  should 
be.  The  King  of  Heaven  is  our  adorable  Lord 
and  Saviour,  Jesus  Christ,  and  the  Kingdom  of 
Heaven  is  His  dominion.  Aforetime,  under 
the  old  economy,  the  dominion  was  more  fre- 
quently called  a  Kingdom,  than,  in  later  years, 
under  the  gospel,  where  it  is  usually  termed  the 
Church.  By  and  by,  in  the  glorious  consum- 
mation, it  will  be  "the  holy  city,  Jerusalem." 
But  whether  as  Kingdom,  or  Church,  or  City, 
the  dominion  is  essentially  the  same,  having 
the  same  authority,  the  same  purpose,  and  the 
same  triumph.  There  is  a  prevalent  error  that 
disparages  the  Church  and  exalts  the  Kingdom, 
suggesting  that  the  Church  is  for  the  Kingdom, 
and  that  the  Kingdom  is  more  humane,  more 
sympathetic  and  more  practical  than  the 
Church.  The  error  is  the  mistake  of  contrast- 
ing the  real  Church  with  the  ideal  Kingdom, 
or  the  Church  as  it  is  with  the  Kingdom  as  it 
should  be.  The  contrast  is  not  fair.  The  ideal 
and  the  real  can  never  be  contrasted  to  the  ad- 
vantage of  the  real.     Let  any  man  contrast  his 


"Ambassadors  on  Behalf  of  Christ "   69 

real  self  with  his  ideal  self.     The  real  inevita- 
bly suffers,  when  thus  confronted  with  the 
ideal.     The    Church    as    it    is,    has    become 
worldly,  selfish,  proud  and  oppressive.     But 
this  Church  is  not  the  ideal  Church,  which  is 
the  Bride  of  our  blessed  Lord,  or  the  Body,  of 
which  He  is  the  Head.     The  ideal  Church— and 
some  day  the  ideal  Church  will  be  the  real 
Church— is  just  as  pure,  just  as  considerate, 
just  as  efficient  as  the  Kingdom  is,  or  ever  can 
be.     They  are  one;  the  Church  and  the  King- 
dom.    For  whatever    may  be    said    of   the 
Church  may  be  said  of  the  Kingdom,  and 
whatever  may  be  said  of  the  Kingdom  may  be 
said  of  the  Church.     Let  us  not  engage  in  this 
disparagement  of  the  Church,  which  as  the 
Body  of  Christ  has  hands  to  rescue  the  perish- 
ing, and  eyes  to  look  tenderly  upon  distress, 
and  ears  to  catch  the  faintest  whisper  of  en- 
treaty, and  lips  to  proclaim,  through  all  the 
earth  and  unto  every  creature,  that  the  God 
and  Father  of  us  all  is  merciful  and  gracious, 
and  feet  to  run  swiftly  as  the  messenger  of 
salvation!    Let  us  make  the  Church  efficient, 
in  delivering  the  world  from  the  curse  of  sin; 
and  we  shall  hear  no  more  of  the  superiority 
of  the  Kingdom  and  the  inferiority  of  the 

Church. 

The  representative  activity  of  a  Christian 
minister  is  in,  and  through,  the  Church.     His 


70       The  Man  and  His  Message 

character  and  conduct  must,  therefore,  har- 
monize with  his  commission.  Republics,  like 
our  own,  do  not  send  their  ambassadors  to 
imitate  the  ambassadors  of  European  mon- 
archies. Republican  simplicity  is  commend- 
able in  the  ambassadors  of  a  republic.  Benja- 
min Franklin  at  the  luxurious  French  court 
was  an  American  citizen  in  his  dress,  his 
equipage,  and  his  mode  of  living.  As  such, 
he  reflected  honor  upon  the  Continental  Con- 
gress, whose  representative  he  was. 

The  Christian  minister  must  always  be  a 
Christian  man.  The  emphasis  is  upon  the  ad- 
jective rather  than  upon  the  noun.  The  vir- 
tues and  graces,  which  are  evident  in  Jesus 
Christ,  should  appear  in  him.  It  is  not  a  diffi- 
cult thing  to  be  a  minister.  A  black  coat  and 
a  white  cravat  are  the  outfit  of  the  tailor  and 
the  haberdasher,  while  Reverend  before  the 
name  is  the  distinction  that  follows  the  ap- 
proval of  a  presbytery.  Thus  equipped,  the 
minister  steps  forth  to  speak  oraculary  upon 
every  theme,  and  to  enjoy  the  flattery  that  is 
poured  into  his  ears  by  the  weak  souls  whom 
he  captivates  by  his  speech.  Any  one  can  be- 
come a  minister.  The  doors  into  the  profession 
are  wide  open.  Every  applicant  is  sure  to  find 
a  welcome  at  some  door. 

But  to  be  a  Christian  minister,  "a  man  in 
Christ,"  a  man  who  sees  the  world  as  Christ 


"Ambassadors  on  Behalf  of  Christ "    71 

saw  it,  a  man,  who  loves  men  as  Christ  loved 
them,  a  man,  who  is  ready  to  touch  the  leper, 
as  Christ  was,  a  man  who  is  superior  to  en- 
vironment, a  man,  who  is  ready  for  service 
anywhere,  but  who  cannot  live  if  he  cannot 
serve  somewhere,  to  be  a  Christian  minister, 
to  live  in  these  United  States  as  Christ  lived  in 
Capernaum,  in  Bethany,  and  in  Jerusalem,  to 
be  strong  and  yet  gentle,  to  be  courageous 
and  yet  sympathetic,  to  commune  with  God 
and  yet  to  play  with  children,  to  be  holy  and 
yet  to  live  among  sinners,  to  stand  between 
poverty  and  oppression,  to  make  the  world 
sweeter,  purer,  richer  in  faith  and  hope  and 
love,  to  fulfill  a  Christian  ministry — why  that  is 
the  grandest  use  of  life  that  can  be  suggested. 
Knowing  Christ  and  making  Christ  his  ideal, 
the  Christian  minister  will  not  err.  That  dis- 
tinctive quality  that  we  call  Christlikeness 
should  be  the  characteristic  of  ambassadors. 
They  are  not  to  be  ambitious  of  fame,  of 
wealth,  of  honors,  or  of  power.  But  they  are 
to  seek  to  be  holy.  This  is  the  distinction  of 
these  ambassadors — holiness.  "A  holy  man 
of  God,  which  passeth  by  us  continually,"  was 
the  tribute  that  was  paid  to  a  Hebrew  minister 
by  a  woman  of  Shunem.  Elisha  was  a  faith- 
ful ambassador  of  his  King  and  kingdom; 
and,  in  character  and  conduct,  he  was  a  man 
of  God. 


72       The  Man  and  His  Message 

My  own  revered  and  beloved  teacher,  the 
aged  Thomas  H.  Skinner,  was  an  accomplished 
rhetorician,  a  keen  theologian,  a  ripe  scholar, 
and  an  eloquent  preacher.  Fifty  years  ago, 
when  he  was  in  the  prime  of  his  life,  he  stood 
in  the  front  rank  of  the  profession.  But  his 
name  is  mentioned,  to-day,  in  view  of  his  con- 
secration to  the  service  of  our  Lord  and 
Saviour,  Jesus  Christ;  and  his  saintly  life  is  to 
our  American  Church  just  what  the  memory 
of  Thomas  Wilson,  the  Bishop  of  Sodor  and 
Man,  is  to  the  Church  of  England,  a  priceless 
treasure. 

The  answer  to  our  first  question  is  evident, 
and  it  is  this:  The  Christian  minister  as  "an 
ambassador  on  behalf  of  Christ,"  must  be  a 
Christlike  man. 

"  O  happy  man  !    There  is  no  man  like  thee  ! 
Worn  out  in  service  of  humanity ! 
Still  working  on  thro'  all  thy  failing  years, 
And  dead  at  last,  'mid  universal  tears  ! 
Thy  name  a  fragrance  in  the  speaker's  breath, 
And  thy  divine  example  life  in  death." 

Second: — As  "an  ambassador  on  behalf  of 
Christ,"  the  Christian  minister  is  to  speak  for 
the  King  of  Kings,  and  then  he  may  know 
what  his  doctrine  and  speech  should  be.  Doc- 
trine is  responsible  for  speech,  and  for  con- 
duct, too.     "As  he  reasoneth  within  himself, 


"Ambassadors  on  Behalf  of  Christ "    73 

so  is  he,"  is  Old  Testament,  while  "  out  of  the 
abundance  of  the  heart,  the  mouth  speaketh," 
is  New.  Matthew  Arnold  has  insisted  that 
conduct  is  three-fourths  of  life.  But  conduct, 
he  understood  as  we  do,  is  an  expression,  and 
an  expression  of  belief.  To  believe  a  lie  is  to 
live  a  lie.  Even  sincerity  does  not  relieve  the 
situation.  Just  because  belief  is  sincere,  it  is 
a  power  for  evil  in  the  world.  Saul  of  Tarsus 
was  sincere  in  believing  that  Christianity  was 
a  blasphemous,  revolutionary  heresy  that 
should  be  suppressed.  That  was  his  belief; 
and  the  man  and  the  career  that  matched  the 
belief  are  presented  in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles, 
where  it  is  written,  that,  "Saul,  yet  breathing 
threatening  and  slaughter  against  the  disciples 
of  the  Lord."  Another  belief,  held  sincerely, 
too,  introduced  "such  a  one  as  Paul  the  aged, 
and  now  a  prisoner  also  of  Christ  Jesus." 

Ambassadors  are  expected  to  deliver  the 
messages,  or  instructions,  of  the  authority 
that  sends  them.  His  representative  attitude 
must  determine  the  teaching  and  preaching  of 
a  Christian  minister.  Men  in  the  ministry 
sometimes  forget  this.  The  Christian  min- 
istry is  the  ministry  of,  and  for,  Jesus  Christ. 
He  has  no  audible  voice,  except  the  voice  of 
discipleship.  The  great  commission  was  a 
command  to  preach  the  gospel.  When  the 
pulpit  is  degenerating,  and  when  religion  has 


74       The  Man  and  His  Message 

become  formalism,  then  there  is  satisfaction 
with  themes  that  are  selected  from  current 
novels  and  the  sensations  of  the  day.  But 
when  the  pulpit  is  awake  to  its  responsibility, 
and  when  religion  is  spirituality,  then  "Jesus 
Christ,  and  Him  crucified,"  is  the  imperative 
demand.  This  supreme  doctrine  of  the  cross 
has  relations  to  all  life,  and  to  life  in  its  many 
phases.  The  Christian  minister  is  not  limited 
by  being  distinctively  and  emphatically  Chris- 
tian. The  attractive  power  of  the  cross  is  a 
magnetism,  that  can  draw  every  interest  into 
holy  relations. 

One  of  the  most  progressive  of  sociological 
writers  tells  us  that  the  new  social  order  must 
be  dominated  by  the  sacrifice  of  Christ. 

This  may  seem  a  commonplace,  so  often  has 
the  statement  been  made.  But  it  needs  repeti- 
tion. The  temptation  to  draw  the  multitude 
to  the  house  of  God  by  attractive  sensation- 
alism is  in  the  path  of  every  one  of  us.  More 
than  thirty  years  ago,  a  shrewd  observer  of 
men  and  events,  in  addressing  an  evangelist, 
said:  "You  are  a  minister  of  Christ,  and,  as 
such,  an  ambassador  from  God  to  men.  You 
are  not  a  lecturer  on  any  science,  even  that  of 
Theology.  You  are  not  a  cultured  orator  for 
the  entertainment  of  crowded  assemblies.  But 
you  are  God's  ambassador  to  His  rebellious 
subjects." 


"Ambassadors  on  Behalf  of  Christ "    75 

Earthly  ambassadors  have  not  only  their 
formal,  written  instructions,  but  they  carry 
with  them  also  verbal  hints  and  suggestions 
from  the  authority  that  sends  them.  Not  so 
with  you  as  the  ambassador  of  God.  The 
embassy  you  execute  is  the  embassy  of  the 
Bible.  Your  written  instructions  are  the  Bible, 
the  whole  Bible,  and  nothing  but  the  Bible. 
There  is  no  supplement  of  Catholic  tradition; 
no  reserved  privilege  and  discretion  of  reason; 
but  only  this  written  word,  the  wisdom  of 
God  and  the  power  of  God,  to  the  salvation  of 
every  believing  soul. 

It  is  not  expected  that  the  ambassador  of 
Great  Britain  to  the  French  Republic  shall 
represent  or  advocate  Republicanism.  He  is 
the  ambassador  of  a  monarchy,  and  his  in- 
structions are  given  by  the  Foreign  Office 
of  the  English  Queen.  Li  Hung  Chang  was 
China's  ambassador  to  effect  a  peace  with 
Japan,  and  he  would  have  received  universal 
condemnation,  if  he  should  have  failed  to 
prove  his  loyalty  to  the  Chinese  Emperor  and 
nation. 

We  wonder  that  Christian  ministers  ever 
become  unmindful  of  their  ambassadorial 
character.  Yet  they  do;  and,  in  the  pulpit, 
they  neglect  the  glorious  gospel  for  the  dis- 
cussion of  scientific  propositions,  or  the 
elaboration    of    ethical  theories.     I   can   well 


76        The  Man  and  His  Message 

remember  a  service  on  the  Atlantic  Coast, 
where,  within  a  splendid,  historic  sanctuary, 
whose  magnificent  appointments  of  worship 
would  have  startled  the  Puritans  who  founded 
the  church,  a  pastor  discoursed  learnedly  upon 
theories  of  light,  and  gave  to  his  waiting, 
needy  congregation  only  a  hint  as  to  the 
preeminence  of  "the  Light  of  the  World," 
and  not  a  word  as  to  the  way  out  of  their 
darkness  into  that  "marvellous  Light";  and  I 
remember  another  service,  on  the  Pacific  Coast, 
where,  after  a  very  entertaining  lecture  on  the 
Yosemite  Valley,  the  announcement  was  made 
that  the  Lord's  Supper  would  be  administered, 
and  the  invitation  was  given  to  all  present  to 
unite  in  that  most  impressive  and  solemn 
ordinance.  "  My  brethren,  these  things  ought 
not  so  to  be."  As  "  ambassadors  on  behalf  of 
Christ,"  we  are  bound  to  preach  the  gospel 
first,  last  and  always.  It  is  questionable  if  we 
have  any  right  to  introduce  other  themes  into 
the  Christian  sanctuary  on  the  Lord's  Day. 
We  are  privileged  men.  Our  fellow-Chris- 
tians, whose  servants  we  are  for  Jesus'  sake, 
have  given  us  position  and  influence  among 
them,  in  order  that  we  may  instruct  them,  and 
others,  in  the  gospel.  They  do  not  ask  us  to 
lead  their  politics,  nor  to  attend  their  legis- 
latures, nor  to  solve  their  questions  in 
economics  or  natural  history.     There  are  men 


"Ambassadors  on  Behalf  of  Christ "    77 

among  us,  who  are  more  than  we  can  be  in 
such  matters.  Our  charge  is  the  gospel,  whose 
proper  interpretation  will  surely  affect,  elevate, 
and  purify  every  human  interest. 

Therefore,  we  must  be  students  of  the 
Bible,  and  we  must  be  familiar  with  its  doc- 
trines. Doctrines  are  facts.  Unless  we  are 
acquainted  with  the  doctrines,  or  great  facts 
of  Christianity,  how  can  we  be  "ambassadors 
on  behalf  of  Christ "  ?  How  could  a  man 
represent  the  United  States  at  the  Court  of  St. 
James  if  he  had  never  studied  the  constitution 
of  the  United  States  ?  The  ambassador  studies 
the  constitution  and  laws  of  his  country,  and 
they  enter  into  his  thought  and  personality,  so 
that  he  is  identified  with  his  country.  He  has 
the  genius  of  his  country.  It  is  not  necessary 
that  he  should  parade  the  constitution  and 
laws,  no  more  is  it  necessary  that  the  "am- 
bassador on  behalf  of  Christ "  should  make  a 
display  of  his  theology.  But  he  will  be  a  poor, 
a  contemptible  ambassador,  if  he  is  ignorant 
of  theology,  and  is  not  ready  to  give  a  reason 
concerning  the  hope  that  he  cherishes.  "  Know 
Theology,  Preach  Religion,"  is  a  crisp  state- 
ment of  duty. 

The  answer  to  our  second  question  is  at 
hand,  and  it  is  this;  the  Christian  minister  as 
"an  ambassador  on  behalf  of  Christ"  must 
preach  the  gospel. 


78       The  Man  and  His  Message 

■  For  God  has  other  words  for  other  worlds, 
But  for  this  world,  the  Word  of  God  is  Christ ; 
And  when  we  come  to  die,  we  shall  not  find 
The  day  has  been  too  long  for  any  of  us, 
To  have  fulfilled  the  perfect  law  of  Christ." 

Third: — As  an  "ambassador  on  behalf  of 
Christ,"  the  Christian  minister  may  depend 
upon  infinite  resources,  and  may  look  for  a 
glorious  reward,  and  thus  he  may  know  what 
his  courage  and  hope  should  be.  An  ambassador 
has  the  strength  of  his  government.  He  may 
be  a  puny  man,  who  could  not  wrestle  with  a 
schoolboy,  and  yet  he  may  stand  undaunted 
in  the  presence  of  the  Czar  of  Russia,  because 
he  has  ironclads  and  armies  and  a  great  nation 
behind  him.  A  friend  told  me  that  he  was  in 
the  city  of  Beyrout,  just  after  the  Franco- 
German  War,  when  the  Crown  Prince  Fred- 
erick of  Germany  came  ashore  from  the  Med- 
iterranean Fleet.  My  friend  said  that  the  noble 
German  bore  himself  with  the  proud  con- 
sciousness of  victory  and  a  consolidated 
empire.  That  is  the  ambassador's  privilege. 
A  strong  government  can  send  out  dignified, 
influential  ambassadors,  while  the  ambassa- 
dors of  a  third-rate  government  are  painfully 
conscious  that  they  can  only  strut  and  pose 
upon  the  diplomatic  stage. 

Who,  and  what,  are  behind  the  Christian 
minister  ?     The  answer  comes  ringing  down 


"Ambassadors  on  Behalf  of  Christ "    79 

the  centuries:  "All  authority  hath  been  given 
unto  Me  in  heaven,  and  on  earth.  Go  ye, 
therefore."  "And  lo,  I  am  with  you  alway, 
even  unto  the  end  of  the  world."  Omnipotence 
speaks.  The  Son  of  God  is  heard.  We  are 
His  representatives. 

The  promise  of  divine  aid  can  be  trusted. 
Our  Lord  will  be  true  to  His  word.  He  will 
never  leave,  nor  forsake  His  ambassadors. 
They  have  a  right  to  be  courageous,  because 
He  is  with  them.  This  has  been  the  martyr's 
dependence;  and  it  has  never  failed.  St.  Paul 
himself  is  in  evidence.  His  is  a  noble  figure, 
wherever  he  appears  in  the  Apostolic  journeys. 
What  a  contrast  is  that  which  is  witnessed  in 
the  Roman  palace  of  Cesarea,  when  Agrippa 
and  Bernice  and  Festus,  with  the  chief  captains 
and  the  principal  men  of  the  city,  are  assem- 
bled to  hear  the  defence  of  a  solitary  Jew,  who 
is  held  as  a  prisoner!  That  Jew  is  under  sus- 
picion. He  has  nothing  to  commend  him  ex- 
cept his  sincerity.  He  has  been  led  in  from 
the  guardhouse,  where  his  companions  have 
been  coarse,  common  soldiers.  Yet,  in  the  con- 
sciousness of  Christian  manhood  and  in  the 
strength  of  his  relation  to  his  invisible  Lord 
and  Master,  St.  Paul  says  to  Agrippa,  the 
king:  "I  would  to  God  that  not  thou  only, 
but  also  all  that  hear  me  this  day,  might  be- 
come   such  as  I  am,    except  these  bonds." 


80       The  Man  and  His  Message 

That  certainly  is  a  noble  attitude.  Who  can 
fail  to  estimate  St.  Paul,  the  lonely  Jew,  as  a 
stronger,  braver,  more  heroic  man  than 
Agrippa,  the  king,  with  all  his  pretentious 
surroundings,  or  than  Festus,  the  governor, 
with  the  Roman  legions  at  his  command  ? 

Or  take  the  last  view  that  we  have  of  the 
Great  Apostle,  when  he  is  writing  from  a  cold, 
damp  cell  in  Rome,  and  assuring  his  beloved 
Timothy  that  he  had  been  called  to  the  bar  of 
Caesar,  and  that  not  a  friend  was  there  to  give 
him  cheer.  Then  how  finely  he  adds:  "But 
the  Lord  stood  by  me,  and  strengthened  me, 
and  I  was  delivered  out  of  the  mouth  of  the 
lion." 

What  was  done  for  a  notable  ambassador 
will  be  done  for  every  one  of  us.  We,  too, 
are  ambassadors,  and  the  service  is  the  same. 
This  is  our  hope.  With  the  sword  of  the 
executioner  in  view,  the  crown  of  righteous- 
ness is  also  visible;  with  the  light  and  momen- 
tary affliction  in  one  scale,  there  is  the  far 
more  exceeding  and  eternal  weight  of  glory 
in  the  other.  The  ambassador  is  to  return. 
The  Earl  of  Beaconsfield  was  the  proudest  man 
in  England,  when  he  returned  from  Berlin  to 
report  to  his  sovereign  that  he  had  brought 
"  peace  with  honor."  What  has  the  "  ambas- 
sador on  behalf  of  Christ "  to  take  with  him,  as 
he  goes  to  meet  his  Lord  ?     "They  that  turn 


"Ambassadors  on  Behalf  of  Christ "    8 1 

many  to  righteousness  shall  shine  as  the  stars, 
forever  and  ever."  That  is  one  thing. 
"Blessed  are  the  peace-makers."  That  is 
another.  The  extension  and  the  establishment 
of  the  kingdom.  That  is  a  third.  The  welcome 
is  assured.     The  "  well  done  "  will  be  heard. 

As  they  go  forth  to  service,  ambassadors  are 
permitted  to  have  a  personal  audience  with  the 
Ruler,  whom  they  are  to  represent,  that  in- 
structions may  be  given,  and  that  acquaintance 
may  be  formed.  In  like  manner,  at  the  home- 
coming, it  is  to  the  Ruler  that  they  report  their 
fidelity,  that  they  may  hear  the  words  of  ap- 
proval that  are  richly  prized. 

The  Christian  minister,  Christ's  ambassador, 
has  a  similar  privilege.  From  the  presence  of 
the  King,  our  adorable  Redeemer,  he  goes  out 
upon  his  embassy,  carrying  in  his  heart  the 
message  from  the  sacred  lips  divine,  and  the 
sweet  assurance  of  sustaining  sympathy  and 
grace  that  ever  accompanies  a  command  to 
toil;  to  endure,  and  to  suffer  in  the  cause  of 
Christ;  and  in  the  presence  of  the  King,  our 
blessed  Master,  Jesus  Christ,  he  renders  an  ac- 
count of  his  life-work,  here  on  the  earth,  re- 
ceiving that  priceless  recompense,  which 
means  the  right  hand,  the  mansion,  the  crown, 
and  everlasting  felicity  with  saints,  with 
angels,  and  with  God. 

Now  we  have  the  answer  to  our  third  ques- 


82        The  Man  and  His  Message 

tion,  and  it  is  this;  the  Christian  minister,  as 
"an  ambassador  on  behalf  of  Christ,"  has  God 
for  his  dependence,  his  hope  and  his  joy. 

"  Champion  of  Jesus  !  on  that  breast 
From  whence  thy  fervor  flowed, 
Thou  hast  obtained  eternal  rest, 
The  bosom  of  thy  God." 

To  you,  Beloved  Brethren  of  the  Graduating 
Class,  this  ambassadorial  service  is  most  attract- 
ive. Years  of  self-sacrifice  and  patient  study 
are  represented  in  your  present  equipment. 
You  have  believed  that  God  called  you  to  be 
"  ambassadors  on  behalf  of  Christ,"  and  your 
response  to  that  call  has  been  your  fidelity  in 
preparing  for  the  service.  Now  you  are  ready, 
and  the  service  is  to  begin.  God  only  knows 
where  and  what  it  shall  be.  To  some  of  you 
it  may  be  a  pleasant  life  among  congenial 
peoples,  who  reverence  your  Lord  and  Master; 
and  who  will  esteem  you  very  highly  in  love 
for  your  work's  sake;  while  to  others  of  you, 
it  may  be  hardship,  suffering,  reproach,  and 
even  martyrdom.  We  cannot  know.  Our 
ignorance  is  blessed.  The  future  is  safe  with 
Him,  whose  you  are.  You  are  His  ambassa- 
dors. Let  that  be  your  thought  to  live  by. 
Match  that  thought  with  your  activity,  and 
you  will  not  err.  The  retrospect  will  be 
bright,  and  the  prospect  will  be  brighter. 


"Ambassadors  on  Behalf  of  Christ "    83 

During  your  student  days  among  us,  you 
may  have  gone  to  Fort  Hill  Cemetery  to  visit 
the  grave  of  that  eminent  statesman,1  whose 
devotion  to  liberty  secured  for  him  a  con- 
spicuous position  among  the  patriots  of 
America.  In  the  truest  sense,  he  was  an  am- 
bassador. Yet  he  was  reproached  and 
honored;  he  was  abused  and  praised;  he  was 
assaulted  with  violence  and  he  closed  his  life  in 
peace.  After  an  abundance  of  service,  and 
with  the  laurels  of  a  nation's  gratitude  upon 
his  brow,  there  was  selected,  as  the  epi- 
taph to  be  carved  above  his  grave,  the  simple, 
grandly  expressive  declaration:  "  He  was 
faithful." 

On  behalf  of  my  associates,  your  instructors, 
who  have  labored,  these  years,  to  prepare  you 
for  service,  I  bid  you  go  forth  to  the  Christian 
ministry,  as  "ambassadors  on  behalf  of 
Christ,"  expressing  their  hope  and  mine  that 
when  the  service  is  over,  and  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  calls  you  home,  it  may  be  said,  there 
and  here,  of  each  one  of  you, 

"He  was  faithful." 

1  William  H.  Seward. 


Jesus  Christ,  and  Him  Crucified 


Jesus  Christ,  and  Him  Crucified 

The  great  preachers  of  the  church  have  been 
men  who  have  known  what  to  preach,  and 
how  to  preach  it.  Matter  and  manner  have 
been  considered  in  their  preaching;  and  mat- 
ter has  always  held  the  first  place.  The  mat- 
ter of  preaching  is  abundant.  Truth  is  a 
treasury,  whose  contents  are  the  thoughts  of 
God.  When  God  utters  His  thoughts,  truth  is 
accessible,  even  if  it  is  unrecognized.  The 
recognition,  however,  will  come  with  the  in- 
crease of  knowledge.  Science  is  constantly 
unlocking  the  vaults  of  the  treasury;  and  re- 
ligion is  steadily  advancing  to  clearer  estimates 
of  essential  doctrines  and  vital  principles. 

The  great  preachers  have  understood  that 
one  great  truth  is  enough  for  one  man's  life- 
work;  and  they  have  been  great  enough  to  be 
satisfied  with  the  effective  knowledge  of  one 
influential  truth.  That  truth,  firmly  grasped 
and  persistently  used,  has  made  the  preach- 
ing of  the  preacher  a  hammer  to  break  the 
fetters  of  the  enslaved,  a  bugle  to  organize  the 
struggle  for  liberty,  a  standard  to  lead  the  army 
of  the  Lord  to  peace  and  plenty,  and  a  gentle 
presence  to  remind  the  sorrowful  that  they  are 
87 


88        The  Man  and  His  Message 

the  sons  and  daughters  of  "the  Father  of 
mercies"  and  "God  of  all  comfort." 

Men  of  one  idea  form  public  opinion,  and 
exercise  authority  after  public  opinion  has  been 
formed.  They  are  not  necessarily  narrow 
men.  Their  breadth  will  depend  upon  the  size 
of  their  idea,  and  there  are  ideas,  and  many  of 
them,  which  take  hold  of  every  human  inter- 
est, as  they  reach  from  the  depths  of  hell  to 
those  sublime  heights,  where  God  Almighty 
sits  enthroned. 

The  preacher  will  manifest  wisdom  in  his 
selection  of  the  truth,  which  he  is  to  make  his 
own.  When  that  truth,  if  it  is  a  great  truth, 
becomes  his,  he  can  preach  it  with  power;  and 
his  hearers  will  believe  that  a  man  of  God  is 
before  them,  and  that  he  has  a  message,  which 
they  must  hear,  and  heed. 

But  what  shall  the  great  truth  be?  From 
among  the  great  truths,  which  one  shall  be  se- 
lected ?  How  can  a  young  man  be  guided  in 
his  choice  ?  Perhaps  the  experience  of  an 
eminent,  and  a  very  successful  preacher  may 
prove  instructive.  He  was  once  on  a  journey, 
when  he  reached  the  principal  university  city 
of  Europe,  where  he  was  a  stranger.  The 
leading  men  of  the  city  were  not  in  sympathy 
with  his  views  of  truth:  and  yet  they  were 
men,  whose  opinions  were  eagerly  sought, 
and  whose  fame  had  gone  out  through  all  the 


Jesus  Christ,  and  Him  Crucified     89 

earth.  They  invited  him  to  preach  and  he 
consented.  Impressed  as  he  evidently  was 
with  the  intellectual  character  of  his  audience, 
the  preacher  selected  a  somewhat  abstruse  and 
philosophical  theme,  which  he  treated  in  a 
somewhat  philosophical  manner.  He  was 
heard  with  curious  attention,  which  presently 
gave  way  to  laughter  and  ridicule.  The  phi- 
losophers and  scholars  of  the  university  city 
were  not  impressed  by  what  he  said;  and  he 
left  them,  with  the  painful  consciousness  that 
his  preaching  had  not  been  a  success. 

As  he  resumed  his  journey,  he  had  time  to 
think,  before  he  reached  another  city,  which 
was  a  busy  centre  of  commercial  activity, 
where  two  continents  met  to  interchange  ideas 
and  commodities.  When  he  entered  that  city, 
his  decision  was  formed.  He  had  selected  the 
greatest  truth  of  the  gospel,  which  he  began, 
at  once,  to  preach.  He  was  heard  with  anx- 
iety and  conviction,  as  preachers,  who  have 
preached  that  truth,  always  have  been  heard. 
There  was  resistance  and  persecution,  it  is 
true,  but  there  were  many  converts,  and  many 
splendid  exhibitions  of  heroism,  and  there  was 
a  noble  church,  and  a  magnificent  influence 
going  out  into  that  luxurious  profligate  city. 
The  selection  of  the  preacher  was  commended 
by  the  results,  and  ever  after,  he  held  to  the 
truth  of  "Jesus  Christ  and  Him  crucified." 


90       The  Man  and  His  Message 

I  need  not  mention  the  preacher's  name,  even 
when  I  say  that,  to  us,  audiences  will  be  more 
Corinthian  than  Athenian.  Our  life-work  will 
take  us  to  Corinth  more  often  than  to  Athens. 
Yet  even  in  Athens,  the  truth  that  was  grandly 
effective  in  Corinth  will  prove  that  it  is  "the 
power  of  God,  and  the  wisdom  of  God." 
Therefore,  with  all  the  emphasis  that  belongs 
to  this  supreme  hour,  in  the  lives  of  many 
here  present,  I  would  urge  you,  my  brethren 
of  the  graduating  class,  to  choose  "Jesus 
Christ,  and  Him  crucified,"  as  the  matter  of 
your  preaching.  It  is  a  glorious  truth.  If  you 
are  faithful  to  it,  you  cannot  fail.  It  is  just  what 
you  are  commanded  to  preach,  and  it  is  just 
what  you  will  be  tempted  not  to  preach.  But 
do  not  yield  to  temptation.  Be  loyal  to  the 
truth.  Honor  your  commission.  Appreciate 
its  comprehensiveness.  Dare  to  be  men  of  one 
idea,  and  let  that  idea  be  "Jesus  Christ  and 
Him  crucified." 

First: — This  truth  addresses  the  world  prac- 
tically. The  world's  attention  is  held  by  it,  as 
by  no  other  truth.  It  is  the  one  truth  that  the 
world  must  accept,  if  the  world  is  ever  to  be 
saved.  There  is  no  human  interest  that  this 
truth  cannot  effect,  and  that  it  has  not  affected. 
It  reaches  individuals,  and  they  become  new 
men  in  Christ.  It  touches  families,  and  home- 
life,  so  sacred  and  so  blessed,  takes  the  place 


Jesus  Christ,  and  Him  Crucified     91 

of  house-life,  so  common,  and  so  often  cor- 
rupt.    It  enters  into  states  and  nations,  and 
the  Christian   commonwealth,   with  schools, 
colleges,   libraries,  museums,   churches,   hos- 
pitals, asylums,  and  a  noble  citizenship,  is  the 
response.     Its  method  is  as  scientific,  as  it  is 
efficient.     The  tree  is  made  good,  with  the  ex- 
pectation that  the  fruit  will  then  be  good. 
The  issues  of  life  are  traced  to  the  heart,  and 
the  endeavor  is  to  produce  a  beneficial  change 
of  heart.     The  renewed   man  will  make  his 
own  appropriate  environment.     Oranges  on 
Christmas  trees  do  not  lead  us  to  look  for  an 
orange  crop  in  a  hemlock  forest.     If  there  are 
to  be  ''new  heavens  and  a  new  earth,  wherein 
dwelleth  righteousness,"  there  must  be  a  mul- 
titude of  righteous   men  and  women.     The 
preacher's  work  is  to  promote  righteousness; 
and  Jesus   Christ,  and  Him   crucified,  is  the 
truth  of  all  truths  that  makes  for  righteous- 
ness.    Professor  Shedd,  whose  promise  as  a 
theologian  was  first  recognized  by  Auburn 
Seminary,  has  said,  that  "When  the  ministry 
sink  all  other  themes  in  the  one  theme  of  the 
cross,  they  see  the  soul  of  man  born  into  the 
kingdom  of  God;  and  then,  as  an  inevitable 
consequence,  with  which  they  had  little  to  do 
directly,  but  which  is  taken  care  of  by  the 
providence  of  God,  and  the  laws  by  which  He 
administers  His  government  in  the  earth,  they 


92       The  Man  and  His  Message 

also  see  arts,  sciences,  trade,  commerce,  and 
political  prosperity  following  in  of  them- 
selves." A  popular  writer  of  the  day,  the 
author  of  "  Beside  the  Bonnie  Brier  Bush,"  re- 
marks in  one  of  his  sermons  that  "Theology 
has  many  departments,  but  the  most  fruitful 
and  effectual  is  that  which  expounds  the  death 
of  Jesus.  .  .  .  The  Church  of  Christ  has  made 
her  home  beneath  the  shadow  of  the  cross." 

This  is  just  as  the  Master  said.  From  His 
lips  came  the  declaration;  "and  I,  if  I  be 
lifted  up  from  the  earth,  will  draw  all  men 
unto  Myself."  His  cross  has  an  irresistible 
magnetism.  Missionaries  among  savage  peo- 
ples have  used  its  attractive  power  to  draw  the 
heathens  away  from  their  degrading,  super- 
stitious rites,  and  to  interest  them  in  Christian 
modes  of  living.  It  has  been  the  inspiration 
of  self-sacrifice.  The  church,  whose  mem- 
bership have  realized  that  "one  died  for  all," 
has  been  the  church,  whose  zeal  for  missions 
has  been  conspicuous.  The  success  of  the 
English  Universities'  Mission,  which  has  been 
a  splendid  exhibition  of  consecrated  talent, 
was  due  to  the  appeals  which  reached  the 
students  of  Oxford  and  Cambridge  from  the 
cross  of  Jesus.  Less  attention  was  given  to 
the  needs  of  Africa  and  Asia,  than  to  the  suf- 
ferings and  death  of  our  blessed  Lord.  Count 
Zinzendorf,  the  Moravian,  whose  ministry  was 


Jesus  Christ,  and  Htm  Crucified     93 

apostolic  in  its  devotion,  kept  ever  in  his 
chamber  a  crucifix,  which  had  beneath  it  the 
words:  "All  this  for  thee,  how  much  for 
me?"  We  believe,  and  we  are  justified  in 
our  belief,  that  the  use  of  the  crucifix  pro- 
motes superstition.  Let  us  not,  however,  in 
our  rejection  of  a  visible  symbol,  lose  sight  of 
the  great  truth,  that  before  our  "eyes  Jesus 
Christ  is  openly  set  forth,  crucified." 

This  consciousness  of  a  crucified  Saviour  is 
the  only  adequate  explanation  of  Chalmer's 
career  in  the  Wynds  of  Glasgow,  and  of  Guth- 
rie's work  for  the  poor  of  Edinburgh.  Spur- 
geon  held  the  confidence  and  affection  of  the 
English  middle  class  for  thirty  years,  as  he 
preached  the  vicarious  atonement  in  every 
sermon.  Liddon  at  St.  Paul's  Cathedral  was 
confessedly  the  grandest  preacher  in  the  Es- 
tablished Church,  and  the  crucified  Christ  was 
freely  offered  by  him,  as  the  only  hope  of  a  lost 
world.  Henry  Ward  Beecher's  most  effective 
sermons  were  those  which  he  preached  in 
middle  life,  when  the  cross  of  Calvary  had  es- 
pecial prominence  in  Plymouth  Church.  His 
later  sermons  on  Evolution  did  not  add  to  his 
reputation  as  a  preacher;  and  did  not  add  to 
the  Church  "those  that  were  being  saved." 
The  great  revivalists,  like  Whitefield,  the 
Westleys  and  Finney,  found  their  success,  as 
winners  of  souls,  in  pungent  appeals  to  the 


94       The  Man  and  His  Message 

conscience,  and  in  earnest  invitations  to  the 
bleeding  Lamb  of  God.  Perhaps  at  the  pres- 
ent time,1  the  preaching  power  of  Dwight  L. 
Moody  is  superior  to  that  of  any  other  man ; 
and  every  one  knows  that  he  preaches  the 
precious  blood  of  Christ  as  the  only  redemp- 
tion. 

Is  not  this  evident  ?  If  so,  why  is  it  that  we 
do  not  hear  more  of  "Jesus  Christ,  and  Him 
crucified  "  ?  What  means  the  Salvation  Army, 
with  its  crude,  boisterous  methods,  and  its 
conversions  by  the  hundreds  every  year,  if  the 
prominence,  thus  given  to  the  cross,  is  not  at 
once  a  rebuke  and  an  exhortation  to  the  Church. 
The  Salvation  Army  succeeds  where  the 
Church  fails,  because  the  truth  that  pledges 
success  is  in  the  speaking  and  in  the  songs. 
Let  the  Church  go  and  do  likewise,  and  there 
would  be  no  need  of  a  Salvation  Army. 

Charles  Dickens  was  certainly  a  keen  ob- 
server. He  knew  men  and  he  understood  the 
forces  that  affect  men.  Writing  in  one  of  his 
shorter  articles  on  "Two  views  of  a  Cheap 
Theatre,"  he  contrasts  the  impressions  made 
by  the  play  of  Saturday  night  with  the  im- 
pressions made  by  the  preaching  of  Sunday 
night.  The  Sunday  night  congregation 
crowded  the  large  audience  room,  and  the  ser- 
mon was  given  by  a  plain,  unlettered  preacher. 
j  1896. 


Jesus  Christ,  and  Him  Crucified     95 

"  And  it  was  a  most  significant  and  encourag- 
ing circumstance,"  says  Mr.  Dickens,  "that 
whenever  the  preacher  described  anything 
which  Christ  had  done,  the  array  of  faces  be- 
fore him  was  very  much  more  earnest,  and 
very  much  more  expressive  of  emotion  than  at 
any  other  time." 

The  world  is  waiting  for  the  coming  of  "the 
Desire  of  all  nations."  He  must  come  to  the 
world,  if  He  is  to  prove  a  blessing,  as  of  old 
He  came  to  His  disciples,  saying,  "Peace  be 
unto  you,"  and  instantly  showing  His  hands 
and  His  sides.  That  is  what  the  world  needs, 
peace,  but  peace  which  comes  with  the  vision 
of  the  nail-prints  and  the  riven  side.  Do  we 
believe  this  ?  Then  let  us  go  forth  to  make 
full  proof  of  our  ministry. 

Second: — This  truth  yields  its  contents  sat- 
isfactorily. Every  great  truth  must  submit  to 
analysis,  and  the  analysis  will  discover  the 
contents  of  the  truth.  These  may  be  traced  as 
the  long  roots  and  tendrils  of  a  giant  oak  may 
be.  Great  truths  are  composite,  and  this  great 
truth  is  especially  so.  As  we  announce  it,  it 
is  a  simple  familiar  statement — Jesus  Christ 
was  upon  earth,  about  one  thousand  eight 
hundred  years  ago,  and  He  was  crucified.  No 
man  of  any  intelligence  will  deny  that  state- 
ment. It  is  sustained  by  the  facts  of  history. 
We  cannot  help  believing  it.     The  Jews  be- 


96        The  Man  and  His  Message 

lieve  it.  The  critics  believe  it.  The  infidels 
believe  it.  Jesus  Christ  was  born  during  the 
reign  of  Herod  the  Great,  and  He  was  put  to 
death  when  Pontius  Pilate  was  the  Procurator 
of  Judea. 

Now,  when  we  have  said  that,  and  it  is  easy 
to  say  it,  we  are  ready  to  ask,  who  was  Jesus 
Christ,  and  why  was  He  crucified,  and  how 
does  His  crucifixion  concern  us  ?  To  answer 
those  questions  we  should  go  to  the  "  place 
that  is  called  Calvary,"  where  the  three  crosses 
stand  in  "the  midday  midnight."  There  we 
can  look  into  the  face  of  the  Son  of  Mary,  and 
can  properly  estimate  the  significance  of  His 
sufferings  and  death.  Yet  in  that  supreme 
hour,  He  recognizes  the  sacred  relation  of  Son 
and  Mother.  The  motherhood  is  genuine. 
The  humanity  is  not  a  pretence.  For  three 
and  thirty  years,  He  has  been  'Mike  unto  His 
brethren."  The  weakness  of  infancy,  the  de- 
velopment of  youth,  the  strength  of  manhood 
have  been  His.  He  has  known  hunger,  thirst, 
weariness,  grief  and  pain,  as  other  men  have. 
He  has  touched  life  with  a  brother's  hand. 
Every  human  interest  is  addressed  by  Him. 
The  man,  Christ  Jesus,  is  as  true  a  man,  as  any 
one  of  us.  To  this  article  of  our  faith,  we 
hold  with  confidence.  Whatever  else  we  may 
say,  we  shall  affirm  that  Jesus  Christ  is  the 
man  of  Nazareth.     And  so,  there  opens  to  our 


Jesus  Christ,  and  Him  Crucified     97 

view  a  prospect,  that  is  as  broad  as  human 
need  and  expectation.  The  Incarnation  gives 
us  the  perfect  life,  with  which  we  may  go 
anywhere,  to  urge  any  people  to  find  that 
which  is  best  in  resemblance  to  Him.  Pontius 
Pilate  was  right,  when  he  introduced  Him, 
with  the  memorable  "Ecco  Homo."  For  He 
is  "the  man,"  and  with  Him  to  preach,  there 
is  no  limitation  of  theme. 

But  He  is  more  than  a  man.  The  Son  of 
Mary  is  the  Son  of  God.  From  the  cross,  it  is 
not  difficult  to  look  to  the  manger;  but  what 
evidences  of  divinity  are  there  between  Bethle- 
hem and  Calvary,  and  what  convincing  evi- 
dences are  soon  to  present  themselves  in  the 
garden  of  the  Arimathean!  Jesus  Christ — we 
affirm  it  unhesitatingly — cannot  be  kept  upon 
the  plane  of  humanity.  He  is  more  than  man, 
more  than  angel,  more  than  archangel.  For 
we  believe,  as  the  creed  of  Nicea  (325  a.  d.) 
has  it,  that  He  is  "very  God  of  very  God." 
God  and  man  equal  Jesus  Christ.  And  so,  if 
He  addresses  the  world  through  His  humanity, 
who  shall  tell  us  whither  He  looks,  since  He 
is  divine  ?  What  is  His  authority  ?  What  is 
His  influence  ?  And  why  is  He  here,  covered 
with  blood  and  crowned  with  thorns  ?  Surely, 
there  is  no  limitation  of  theme,  when  Deity 
Incarnate  is  our  Lord  and  Saviour,  Jesus  Christ. 

Now  the  mind  is  throbbing  with  eager,  anx- 


98        The  Man  and  His  Message 

ious  questions,  which  demand  a  reply.  What 
does  this  tragedy  mean  ?  Is  this  martyrdom  ? 
Yes,  and  more!  Is  this  love's  consummate 
expression?  Yes,  and  more!  Is  this  God's 
endeavor  to  melt  impenitence  by  the  genial 
warmth  of  His  Son's  voluntary  sacrifice  ?  Yes, 
and  more!  What  is  that  "more"?  There 
are  present,  and  evident  too,  martyrdom,  love, 
persuasiveness  and  something  more?  What 
is  that?  Satisfaction,  propitiation,  atonement. 
"Jesus  Christ,  and  Him  crucified,"  as  my  dear 
friend,  Dr.  William  M.  Taylor,  once  said,  "  so 
satisfied  the  claims  of  the  divine  law,  and 
magnified  the  honor  of  the  divine  justice,  that 
on  the  ground  of  that  propitiation,  God  could 
be,  at  once,  merciful  and  just  in  the  pardoning 
of  sin."  This  is  a  cardinal  truth  of  the  gospel. 
A  vicarious  atonement  is  essential  to  the  valid- 
ity of  the  Christian  scheme.  "  Christ  died  for 
our  sins,  according  to  the  Scriptures."  "Whom 
God  hath  set  forth  to  be  a  propitiation,  through 
faith  by  His  blood,  to  shew  His  righteousness, 
that  He  might  Himself  be  just,  and  the  justifi- 
cation of  Him  that  hath  faith  in  Jesus." 

Writing  of  his  predecessor  in  the  See  of 
Durham,  Bishop  Lightfoot  remarks  that  Joseph 
Butler  "expressed  it  as  an  awful  thing  to  ap- 
pear before  the  moral  Governor  of  the  World." 
The  great  Bishop  was  then  in  the  last  solemn 
hours  of  life,  with  the  consciousness  that  he 


Jesus  Christ,  and  Him  Crucified     99 

must  soon  stand  in  the  presence  of  the  heart- 
searching  God,  whose  righteousness  had  been 
his  study  for  many  years.  Hearing  the  excla- 
mation, Dr.  Foster,  the  chaplain,  who  was  at 
the  bedside,  "spoke  to  him  of  the  blood 
which  cleanseth  from  all  sin."  "Ah!  this  is 
comfortable,"  was  the  response  of  the  dying 
prelate;  and  with  those  words  upon  his  lips, 
he  gave  up  his  soul  to  God.  "  The  sequence," 
adds  Bishop  Lightfoot,  "  is  a  necessary  se- 
quence. He  only  has  access  to  the  Eternal 
Love,  who  has  stood  face  to  face  with  the 
Eternal  Righteousness.  He  only  who  has 
learned  to  feel  the  awe  will  be  taught  to  know 
the  grace.  The  righteous  Judge,  the  moral 
Governor  of  the  world,  is  a  loving  Father  also. 
This  is  the  central  lesson  of  Christianity." 
And  here,  too,  there  is  no  limitation  of  theme. 
Third: — This  truth  anticipates  acceptance 
confidently.  Why  is  there  confidence  ?  Simply 
because  this  truth  is  adapted  to  the  needs  of 
all  men,  and  because  it  has  the  promise  of 
God's  blessing.  Without  the  blessing  of  God, 
the  Holy  Spirit,  who  alone  can  apply  truth  to 
the  hearts  and  consciences  of  those  who  hear, 
the  preacher  will  preach  in  vain.  It  is  true 
that  he  may  be  as  "  a  very  lovely  song  of  one 
that  hath  a  pleasant  voice,  and  can  play  well 
on  an  instrument,"  that  he  may  enjoy  the  favor 
of  the  crowd,  whose  ears  are  tickled  by  his 


ioo      The  Man  and  His  Message 

witticisms,  his  epigrams,  and  his  jokes,  that 
he  may  hold  the  attention  of  thoughtful  men, 
who  are  charmed  by  his  eloquence.  But  if 
that  is  all  that  he  cares  for,  he  has  mistaken 
his  calling.  The  concert  hall  is  the  place  for 
him,  or  the  lecture  platform,  not  the  pulpit  of 
a  Christian  church.  In  the  pulpit,  the  aim 
must  be,  to  lead  men  to  new  and  holy  lives; 
and  that  result  can  only  be  attained,  as  the 
Spirit  of  God  is  present  and  active.  There  is 
no  promise  that  he  will  bless,  with  converting, 
sanctifying  power,  the  pleasantries  of  the 
pulpit,  or  the  scientific  dissertations  of  the 
pulpit,  or  the  rhetorical  essays  of  the  pulpit, 
as  there  is  that  he  will  make  the  preaching  of 
"Jesus  Christ,  and  Him  crucified,"  effective 
unto  salvation.  Pentecostal  revivals  are  not 
known  until  the  cross  has  been  placed  on  Cal- 
vary, and  the  stone  has  been  rolled  away  from 
the  door  of  the  sepulchre.  We  must  be  true 
to  God,  if  we  expect  His  blessing.  "Not  by 
might,  nor  by  power,  but  by  My  Spirit,  saith 
the  Lord  of  hosts."  That  is  Old  Testament. 
"I  planted,  Apollos  watered,  but  God  gave 
the  increase."  That  is  New  Testament.  And 
the  two  Testaments  agree.  I  am  an  optimist, 
and  yet  I  look,  with  anxiety,  upon  the  ten- 
dencies of  the  times,  which  are  leading  us 
away  from  the  cross.  Consult  the  journals  of 
any  large  city  on  a  Saturday  morning,  and  you 


Jesus  Christ,  and  Him  Crucified   101 

will  realize  how  far  from  the  cross  of  an  aton- 
ing sacrifice  are  many  of  the  subjects  that  are 
to  receive  consideration  on  the  Lord's  day. 
Go  to  the  sanctuary  on  the  Lord's  day,  and 
you  may  listen  not  once,  nor  twice,  but  many 
times,  it  may  be,  before  you  will  hear  what  an 
anxious  sinner  should  hear  continually,  and 
that  is  that  the  death  of  Jesus  is  the  life  of  the 
world.  What  wonder  is  it,  that  pure  religion 
and  undefiled  languishes!  What  wonder  is  it 
that  colossal  debts  are  crushing  the  life  out  of 
all  missionary  activity?  Oh!  for  a  revival  of 
Christian  preaching!  Oh!  for  a  dependence 
upon  the  bleeding  heart  of  a  Sinless  Victim! 
Oh!  for  a  ministry  whose  service  is  always 
shadowed  by  the  Cross  of  Calvary! 

From  the  first  day  until  now,  a  vicarious 
atonement  has  been  the  teaching  of  Auburn 
Seminary,  and  I  trust  that  the  day  will  never 
dawn  upon  this  venerable  and  beloved  institu- 
tion, which  shall  witness  a  disregard  of  this 
fundamental  truth.  Let  us  magnify  the  law 
and  justice  of  our  God !  Let  us  proclaim  His 
eternal  love!  Let  us,  in  Jesus  Christ  crucified, 
present  law,  justice  and  love,  as  the  substantial 
hope  of  a  lost  world. 

In  the  House  of  the  Interpreter,  Bunyan's 
pilgrim  saw  the  portrait  of  a  very  grave  per- 
son, whose  eyes  were  lifted  up  to  heaven, 
whose  hand  held  a  copy  of  the  Holy  Scrip- 


102      The  Man  and  His  Message 

tures,  whose  lips  were  impressed  with  the 
word  of  truth,  whose  back  was  turned  to  the 
world  and  over  whose  head  there  was  a 
golden  crown.  The  portrait,  as  he  learned  by 
inquiry  of  the  Interpreter,  was  the  portrait  of 
the  man  whom  the  Lord  of  the  Celestial  City 
had  appointed  to  be  the  guide  of  Pilgrims. 

Such  a  guide,  and  of  Pilgrims,  are  you  to 
become,  dear  brethren,  from  this  hour.  Of 
this  we  have  been  mindful  during  the  years 
that  you  have  been  with  us.  We  have  striven 
to  make  you  wise,  patient  and  faithful.  You 
have  been  considerate  and  appreciative.  If  we 
have  misunderstood  you  at  any  time,  and  have 
grieved  you,  forgive  us.  You  go  forth  with 
our  sympathy,  our  love,  and  our  prayers.  We 
shall  watch  you  and  rejoice  in  you  and  with 
you.  Our  ministry  for  souls  must  be  largely 
through  you  and  others  like  you.  If  you  are 
God's  servants;  then  are  we  servants  of  serv- 
ants ;  and  all  for  Jesus'  sake. 

By  and  by — and  it  cannot  be  long — you 
and  we  will  see  "the  head  that  once  was 
crowned  with  thorns,"  and  will  feel  the  grasp 
of  the  pierced  hand.  Then,  and  forever  after, 
it  will  be  our  joy— will  it  not  ?— that  we  can 
say,  with  St.  Paul  "Jesus  Christ,  and  Him 
crucified,"  was  the  matter  of  our  preaching,  in 
the  last  sermon  as  in  the  first,  and  in  all  the 
rest. 


Jesus  Christ,  and  Him  Crucified   103 

Even  now,  methinks,  I  can  see  that  the 
pierced  hand  is  placing  a  crown  upon  the  head 
of  every  one,  thus  faithful,  and  that  the  lips, 
once  trembling  in  the  agony  of  death,  are 
opening  to  pronounce  the  welcome  of  the 
servants,  who  have  done  well. 


"The  Mind   of  Christ" — as  Ministerial 
Equipment 


"The  Mind   of   Christ" — as    Ministerial 
Equipment 

The  world  is  waiting  to  hear  what  Jesus 
Christ  has  to  say.  Centuries  have  been  num- 
bered since  His  voice  was  last  heard  of  by 
men.  He  disappeared  in  a  cloud,  as  He  was 
speaking  to  His  disciples,  who  were  careful  to 
make  a  record  of  what  He  said  and  did.  That 
record  is  in  the  New  Testament.  It  is  access- 
ible, and  it  is  intelligible.  Any  one  may  read 
for  himself;  and,  under  certain  prescribed  con- 
ditions, any  one  may  understand  what  he 
reads.  The  record  makes  Jesus  Christ  a  pres- 
ent and  a  permanent  Benefactor;  and  the 
prescribed  condition  makes  His  character, 
speech  and  conduct  a  perpetual  inspiration. 
Yet  the  world  is  still  waiting  to  hear  from  Him. 
The  problems  of  life  are  numerous  and  per- 
plexing, and  it  is  the  prevalent  belief  that  He 
can  solve  them.  But  how  shall  He  do  so,  if 
His  voice  cannot  be  heard  ? 

He  must  be  represented.  His  disciples,  and 
especially,  among  the  disciples,  the  men  who 
have  been  called  to  service  in  the  Christian 
ministry,  must  speak  for  Him.  Having  become 
familiar  with  His  thought  and  spirit,  the  Chris- 
107 


108      The  Man  and  His  Message 

tian  minister  is  expected  to  represent  Jesus 
Christ,  just  as  Peter  and  John  once  did  in 
Jerusalem,  when  the  elders,  rulers  and  scribes, 
and  even  the  High  Priest  of  the  Jews  took 
knowledge  of  them  that  they  had  been  with 
Jesus. 

Of  a  city  missionary,  whose  service  is  recent, 
the  remark  was  often  made,  that,  when  he 
went  from  door  to  door  on  his  visits,  the  peo- 
ple "felt  as  if  Jesus  Christ  had  been  in 
the  house." 

"  His  life  grew  fragrant  with  the  inner  soul, 
And  weary  folk,  who  passed  him  on  the  street, 
Saw  Christ's  love  beam  from  out  the  wistful  eyes, 
And  had  new  confidence  in  God  and  man." 

Such  ministers,  and  there  are  many  of  them, 
possess  "  the  mind  of  Christ,"  which  is  minis- 
terial equipment.  He  who  has  that  mind  is  a 
Christian,  and  he  who  has  not  that  mind  is  not 
a  Christian;  while  he  who  has  the  least  of  that 
mind  will  be  saved,  "yet  so  as  through  fire," 
and  he  who  has  the  most  of  that  mind  will 
render  conspicuous  service  among  his  fellow- 
men,  and  will  receive  the  crown  of  life  from 
the  hand  of  God. 

No  last  words  to  beloved  companions  in 
sacred  study  can  be  more  expressive  of  our 
hearts'  desire  and  prayer  to  God  for  you  all, 
than  those  of  urgent  entreaty  to  secure  the 


"The  Mind  of  Christ"  109 

mind  of  Christ,  as  the  equipment  of  your 
ministry. 

What  is  "  the  mind  of  Christ "  ?  An  answer 
must  be  found  in  the  New  Testament.  Jesus 
of  Nazareth  was  what  He  was,  because  His 
mind  was  what  it  was.  He  Himself,  in 
thought,  in  feeling,  and  in  choice,  was  His 
mind.  It  is  not  possible  to  limit  the  familiar 
expression  of  St.  Paul  to  the  intellect,  or  to  an 
intellectual  process.  No  one  can  claim  that  he 
has  the  intellect  of  Christ,  nor,  for  that  matter, 
the  intellect  of  any  one  else.  Intellect  is  not 
transferable.  Each  individual  has  his  own  in- 
tellect, and  he  will  have  it  forever;  and  the  in- 
tellectual processes  of  each  individual  will  be 
determined,  in  large  measure,  by  the  quality 
of  the  intellect.  Aristotles  and  Newtons  and 
Shakespeares  must  think  great  thoughts,  be- 
cause they  have  great  intellects. 

In  the  estimate  of  St.  Paul,  who  is  an  in- 
spired interpreter  of  Jesus  Christ,  "the  mind 
of  Christ "  is  comprehensive  of  every  phase  of 
the  spiritual  activity  of  the  Master,  intellectual, 
emotional  and  volitional,  and  all  proceeding 
from  the  perfect  harmony  of  His  perfect 
nature. 

Pure  thought  is  blended  with  pure  feeling, 
and  is  expressed  in  pure  activity.  The  la- 
mented Bishop  Phillips  Brooks  once  said,  that 
"  the  great  fact  concerning  the  intellectual  life 


no     The  Man  and  His  Message 

of  Jesus  is  this;  that,  in  Him,  the  intellect  never 
works  alone.  You  can  never  separate  its 
workings  from  the  complete  operation  of  the 
whole  nature.  He  never  simply  knows,  but 
always  loves  and  resolves,  at  the  same  time. 
Truth,  which  the  mind  discovers,  becomes 
immediately  the  possession  of  the  affections 
and  the  will." 

The  spiritual  harmony  of  Jesus  was  due  to 
His  sinlessness.  Sin  produces  discord  every- 
where. The  processes  of  a  sinless  mind  can- 
not fail  to  be  more  profound  and  discrimi- 
nating than  are  those  of  a  mind  that  is  under 
the  constraint  of  sin.  The  perfect  eye  sees 
with  distinctness;  and  the  perfect  ear  hears 
with  accuracy.  Jesus  could  not  have  writ- 
ten the  closing  verses  of  the  seventh  chapter 
of  the  Epistle  to  the  Romans.  His  experience 
did  not  match  that  of  the  greatest  thinker 
among  his  followers,  who  was  constrained 
to  confess:  "  To  will  is  present  with  me,  but 
to  do  that  which  is  good  is  not.  For  the 
good  which  I  would  I  do  not,  but  the  evil 
which  I  would  not,  that  I  practice."  Such  a 
confession  is  indicative  of  a  spiritual  conflict, 
of  which  Jesus  knew  nothing. 

While  we  may  not  expect  to  become  sinless, 
we  may  hope,  by  the  grace  of  God,  to  gain 
the  mastery  of  sin;  so  that  our  minds  shall  no 
longer  be  under  its  dominion.     That  will  be 


"The  Mind  of  Christ"  in 

an  important  step  toward  securing  "the  mind 
of  Christ." 

The  sinlessness  of  Jesus  was  associated  with 
His  dependence  upon  the  Father.  God  was  in 
all  His  thoughts.  He  knew,  because  He  did, 
the  will  of  Him  who  sent  Him.  He  was  alone, 
and  yet,  save  for  the  dark  hours  on  the  cross, 
He  was  never  alone,  because  the  Father  was 
with  Him.  He  was  superior  to  His  environ- 
ment, as  any  one  of  us  may  be,  who  carries 
in  his  breast  the  consciousness  of  God.  The 
natural  man  knows  nothing  of  this,  as  the 
spiritual  man  does,  who  enters  new  worlds, 
under  divine  leadership.  The  horizon  is  un- 
limited. The  outlook  is  God's.  One  may 
look  upon  every  interest,  as  God  does.  He 
may  behold,  not  alone  the  firmament,  with  its 
countless  stars;  he  may  see  not  alone  the 
celestial  city,  with  its  open  gates,  and  its 
crowded  streets;  he  may  rejoice,  not  alone  in 
the  beatific  vision  and  the  smile  of  God;  but 
he  must  be  observant,  as  God  is,  of  the  dis- 
tress and  misery  and  shame  of  life  upon  the 
earth,  while  he  responds,  as  the  Son  of  God 
did,  who ''emptied  Himself,  taking  the  form 
of  a  servant,  being  made  in  the  likeness  of 
men  .  .  .  becoming  obedient,  even  unto  death, 
yea,  the  death  of  the  cross." 

Thus  "the  mind  of  Christ"  placed  upon  the 
map  of  history  Bethlehem,  Nazareth  and  Cal- 


ii2      The  Man  and  His  Message 

vary.  The  incarnation,  the  ministry  and  the 
atonement  of  Jesus  Christ  were  manifestations 
of  His  mind.  The  Lamb  was  slain  from  the 
foundation  of  the  world.  Hence  the  gospel. 
Given  the  mind,  and  the  three  and  thirty  years 
in  Judea  and  Galilee  are  logical.  The  manger, 
the  carpenter  shop  and  the  cross  are  eternal 
realities  in  the  mind  of  the  Son  of  God,  who 
makes  them  present  blessings  to  a  lost  world. 

"  The  mind  of  Christ"  must  be  the  measure 
of  Christian  character.  This,  after  all,  is  the 
simplest  form  of  definition;  far  more  simple 
than  assent  to  an  ethical  creed,  of  which  so 
much  has  recently  been  said.  For  one  may 
subscribe  his  assent  to  an  ethical  creed,  and 
still  go  about  with  an  unsurrendered  life.  But 
no  one,  until  he  has  been  born  anew,  can  have 
"the  mind  of  Christ  ";  and  that  new  birth  can 
only  be  experienced  under  the  direct  influence 
of  the  Holy  Spirit.  We  often  say  of  another, 
that  he  and  we  are  like-minded,  when  we 
mean  that  we  are  thinking  the  same  thoughts, 
and  cherishing  the  same  desires,  and  choosing 
the  same  things.  The  Holy  Spirit,  through 
the  new  birth,  enables  us  to  say:  "I  live,  and 
yet  no  longer  I,  but  Christ  liveth  in  me." 
"Christ  in  you,  the  hope  of  glory."  "Your 
life  is  hid  with  Christ  in  God." 

Here  we  discover  the  especial  value  of  the 
Word  of  God,    inasmuch   as  Holy  Scripture 


"The  Mind  of  Christ"  u3 

acquaints  us  with  ''the  mind  of  Christ,"  so 
that  we  are  transformed  into  the  same  image 
from  glory  to  glory.  Study  reports  itself  in 
character,  and  holy  character  is  equipment  for 
service  in  the  Christian  ministry. 

Dean  Swift  of  St.  Patrick's  Cathedral,  Dublin, 
had  genius,  wit  and  learning,  and  Thomas 
Wilson,  the  Bishop  of  Sodor  and  Man  had 
grace  and  Christlikeness.  They  were  to- 
gether at  the  University.  Jonathan  Swift  lived 
in  the  full  blaze  of  worldly  applause,  and  dis- 
appeared, as  he  himself  said,  "Dying  in  a 
rage,  like  a  poisoned  rat  in  a  hole."  While 
Thomas  Wilson,  "after  he  had,  in  his  own 
generation,  served  the  counsel  of  God,  fell  on 
sleep,"  to  be  mourned  and  honored  by  the 
Church  of  England,  as  preeminently  her 
"saintly  preacher."  But  it  has  ever  been  so. 
The  Christlike  minister  will  ever  do  the 
Christlike  work. 

Theological  discipline,  in  the  professional 
school,  has  this  end  in  view.  The  course  of 
study  is  arranged  with  reference  to  "the  mind 
of  Christ."  The  aim  of  the  course  is  to  make 
"  the  mind  of  Christ"  the  mind  of  the  student, 
so  that  the  truth  will  appear  as  it  appeared  to 
Christ,  so  that  sympathy  for  human  need  will 
be  Christ's,  so  that  the  supreme  desire  of  life 
will  be  to  make  men  and  women  Christlike. 

That  was  a  singularly  bright  and  suggestive 


ii4     The  Man  and  His  Message 

remark  that  the  Italian  artist,  Donatello  is  said 
to  have  made  to  his  master,  Brunelleschi,  who 
had  surpassed  him  in  carving  a  crucifix. 
Donatello  had  put  his  best  work  into  the  pro- 
duction of  a  crucifix,  which  Brunelleschi  had 
received  with  the  sharp  criticism:  "What  you 
have  done  there  is  no  Christ,  but  a  peasant 
nailed  to  a  cross."  "To  find  fault,"  replied 
Donatello,  "is  easier  than  to  do  better." 

Brunelleschi  awaited  his  opportunity,  and 
meanwhile  prepared  a  crucifix.  One  morning, 
when  it  was  finished,  he  placed  it  conspicu- 
ously in  the  atelier.  Donatello  came  in  with 
their  breakfast;  and  at  sight  of  the  exquisite 
workmanship,  he  raised  both  his  hands  in 
amazement,  and  the  breakfast  was  scattered 
over  the  floor.  "  How  now  are  we  to  break- 
fast ?"  quietly  asked  Brunelleschi.  "Pick  up 
what  you  like,"  was  the  answer  of  Donatello, 
"I  have  had  my  breakfast.  I  see  truly  that 
you  were  made  for  Christs,  and  my  art  is  fit 
for  nothing  more  than  peasants!"  The  re- 
mark of  the  Italian  announces  its  application. 
How  many  of  us,  my  brethren,  are  fit  for 
Christs,  and  how  many  of  us  are  satisfied,  if 
we  can  make  peasants  ?  But  we  should  not 
be  satisfied  with  anything  less  than  Christs. 
We  are  to  serve  in  the  ministry  to  make 
Christs  out  of  fallen,  human  nature,  and  thus 
to  make  the  world  Christlike.     Our  service  is 


The  Mind  of  Christ 


JI5 


definite,  and  it  is  expected  that  we  will  respect 
the  definiteness  of  the  service.  We  are  not 
civil  engineers,  and  yet  the  success  of  our 
work  will  promote  the  industries  that  call  for 
civil  engineers.  We  are  not  politicians,  and 
yet  we  cannot  preach  the  gospel  without  af- 
fecting politics.  We  are  not  scientists,  and 
yet  science  will  flourish,  wherever  we  are  do- 
ing just  what  our  Lord  has  sent  us  forth  to 
do.  We  are  simple  preachers,  whose  duty  it 
is  to  convince  men  of  sin,  and  to  lead  them  to 
"the  Lamb  of  God,  which  taketh  away  the 
sin  of  the  world."  Let  us  be  satisfied  with 
our  high  and  holy  calling.  There  is  enough  to 
be  done.  We  are  to  represent  Jesus  Christ, 
and  the  world  wishes  to  hear  from  Him.  We 
may  be  able  to  express  His  mind.  Let  that  be 
our  ambition.  Gospel  preachers  are  in  de- 
mand. He,  who  knows  the  gospel,  and  who 
can  preach  it  in  an  earnest,  entertaining  man- 
ner will  have  a  hearing.  At  the  top  of  the 
ladder  there  is  always  room.  Speak  then 
from  the  heart;  and  be  sure  that  the  heart  is  all 
Christ's. 

Let  us  go  forth  now  with  the  minister,  who 
has  "the  mind  of  Christ "  into  that  most  sacred 
place,  the  study.  Here  is  to  be  enjoyed  a 
sweet  and  blessed  fellowship  with  all  that  en- 
nobles character  and  life.  The  best  thoughts 
of  the  wisest  and  best  men  are  the  environ- 


n6      The  Man  and  His  Message 

ment  of  the  study,  in  the  books  that  line  the 
walls.  The  windows  are  opened  toward 
Jerusalem.  There  is  telephonic  connection 
with  the  audience  chamber  of  the  King  of 
Kings,  who  is  the  Father  of  the  minister.  For 
this  humble  man  is  an  heir  of  God.  Prayers 
ascend,  and  messages  of  love  descend  in  the 
sacred  Word,  in  kindly  providences,  in  the 
personal  ministrations  of  grace.  Here  a  man 
is  alone  with  God;  and  that  is  just  where  he 
wishes  to  be.  The  study  becomes  the  seclu- 
sion of  Moses  at  Horeb,  or  of  Elijah  in  the 
cave  of  the  Desert,  or  of  Saul  in  Arabia,  or  of 
the  Beloved  Disciple  on  Patmos.  Men  who  are 
to  move  their  fellow-men  must  often  be  alone. 
Meditation  precedes  effective  activity.  The 
short,  sharp,  decisive  Franco-German  war  had 
its  explanation  in  Von  Moltke's  plan  of  cam- 
paign. The  fire  burned,  while  the  Psalmist 
was  musing.  Even  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  who 
had  not  where  to  lay  His  head,  converted  the 
hillsides  into  a  study  after  sleep  had  fallen 
upon  the  world.  Whatever  else  you  neglect, 
do  not  neglect  the  opportunities  of  communion 
in  the  study.  If  they  are  improved,  you  will 
come  from  them  with  a  radiance  upon  your 
countenance,  which  will  convince  men  that 
you  have  been  with  God. 

Upon  the  wall  of  the  study,  to  catch  the  eye 
of  the  minister,  as  he  enters,  the    student's 


"The  Mind  of  Christ "  117 

promise  is  written:  "If  any  man  willeth  to  do 
His  will,  he  shall  know  of  the  teaching." 
Obedience  is  the  condition  of  knowledge. 
And  another  promise  is,  also,  visible:  "The 
Spirit  of  Truth  will  guide  you  into  all  the 
truth."  Submission  to  the  leadership  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  is  the  pledge  of  spiritual  discern- 
ment. These  are  the  promises  to  "the  mind 
of  Christ."  They  may  be  trusted.  God  has 
given  them.  "  All  the  truth  "  is  to  be  grasped 
by  him,  whose  supreme  desire  it  is  to  know 
the  Incarnation  of  Truth,  who  is  the  Way, 
and  the  Truth,  and  the  Life,  who  reveals  the 
Father,  and  who  reveals  mankind  as  well,  who 
comes  from  God,  who  solves  the  riddle  of  ex- 
istence, who  answers  the  questions  of  the 
soul,  whose  control  is  love,  who  takes  the 
whole  world  in  His  pierced  hands  and  presents 
it  at  the  throne  of  Grace.  "The  mind  of 
Christ"  is  expanding  under  these  influences. 
The  Redeemer  of  a  Sacred  Book  and  of  a  far-off 
land  and  age  is  becoming  a  present  and  a  per- 
sonal Reality.  This  man  of  study  and  of 
prayer  is  losing  himself,  that  he  may  find  him- 
self completely  in  Christ.  He  is  seeing  with 
the  eyes  of  Christ,  and  is  hearing  with  Christ's 
ears.  Large,  generous  considerations  are  his. 
He  is  an  optimist,  in  spite  of  the  wickedness 
that  surrounds  him.  For  he  perceives  that 
Christ  Jesus  announced  the  truth  that  every 


n8      The  Man  and  His  Message 

human  being  needs  for  his  best  life,  and  that 
the  household  requires  to  convert  it  into  a 
home,  and  that  the  community  awaits  to 
transform  it  into  a  brotherhood,  and  that  com- 
merce must  respect  if  business  is  to  be  some- 
thing better  than  greed,  and  that  politics  must 
honor  if  there  is  to  be  a  clean  administration 
of  affairs,  and  that  nations  must  coin  into  in- 
ternational currency,  if  Chinese  walls  are  to  be 
broken  down,  and  plowshares  are  to  outnum- 
ber swords.  Jesus  Christ  has  spoken,  and 
His  ministers — you  and  I — are  to  keep  on 
speaking  for  Him,  and  as  He  did,  until  there 
shall  be  but  one  mind  in  all  the  world,  and 
that  mind  His  mind. 

Let  us  leave  the  study,  and  let  us  go  out 
upon  the  streets.  Here  there  is  the  oppor- 
tunity to  preach  a  seven  days'  gospel.  The 
minister  has  one  day  for  the  pulpit,  and  seven 
days  for  the  streets;  and  the  streets  often  con- 
tradict the  pulpit.  What  manner  of  man 
should  we  find  upon  the  streets  ?  You  know, 
as  well  as  I,  for  the  streets  call  for  a  man  with 
"the  mind  of  Christ."  The  streets  know 
him.  He  is  strong,  yet  gracious.  He  is  brave, 
yet  tender.  He  is  sincere,  yet  gentle.  "  An 
holy  man  of  God,  who  passes  by  us  continu- 
ally." The  housewife  of  Shunem  described 
the  Christian  minister,  when  she  called  atten- 
tion to  the  Hebrew  prophet.     Bad  men  are 


"The  Mind  of  Christ"  119 

afraid  of  him,  as  King  Herod  was  afraid  of 
John  the  Baptist.  Good  men  confide  in  him, 
as  the  Christians  of  Philippi  confided  in  St. 
Paul.  Little  children  love  him,  as  they  loved 
the  children's  Friend,  who  once  said,  "Suffer 
little  children  to  come  unto  Me."  Tender  ap- 
peals reach  him,  as  they  were  sent  across  the 
Jordan  by  the  sisters  of  Lazarus;  "Lord,  be- 
hold he  whom  Thou  lovest  is  sick."  Bethany 
and  Nain  and  Cana  and  Capernaum  have  place 
in  the  experience  of  a  man,  who  crosses  the 
threshold  of  a  dwelling  with  "the  mind  of 
Christ." 

It  is  related  by  Mr.  Siddons,  the  husband  of 
England's  greatest  actress,  that  upon  one  oc- 
casion, when  his  wife  was  engaged  with  the 
character  of  Lady  Macbeth,  he  was  alone  in 
his  library,  late  at  night.  Suddenly  he  heard 
footsteps  on  the  stairs,  and  going  to  the  door, 
he  saw  his  wife,  who  had  become  possessed 
with  the  idea  that  she  was  Lady  Macbeth. 
With  a  word  from  him,  the  spell  was  broken; 
and  as  she  gained  composure  in  his  strong 
arms,  Mrs.  Siddons  told  him  that  she  had  be- 
come absorbed  in  her  study,  until  she  seemed 
herself  to  be  the  guilty  queen.  Then  the 
horror  of  the  realization  caused  her  to  flee 
from  her  lonely  chamber,  to  seek  relief  any- 
where. 

Some    such    transformation    is    his,    who, 


120      The  Man  and  His  Message 

studiously  and  prayerfully,  resolves  to  possess 
"  the  mind  of  Christ."  He  will  surely  become 
Christlike;  and  the  Christlikeness  will  not 
be  a  superficial  veneering,  but,  like  the  growth 
of  flower  and  fruit,  the  true  expression  of  the 
inner  life. 

And  now  a  word  in  regard  to  the  pulpit. 
For  to  the  minister,  all  roads  lead  to  the  pulpit. 
Eloquence  may  not  mount  the  pulpit  stairs. 
But  eloquence  is  not  a  demand.  Each  gener- 
ation has  a  few,  only  a  few,  eloquent  preach- 
ers. There  is  something  better.  It  is  the 
speech  of  a  man,  through  whom  Jesus  Christ 
speaks.  "What  would  this  babbler  say?" 
was  the  sarcastic  inquiry  of  cultured  Athen- 
ians, when  there  stood  before  them  a  man,  of 
whom  the  Corinthians  said;  "  his  bodily  pres- 
ence is  weak,  and  his  speech  of  no  account." 
That  man,  if  we  may  believe  tradition,  was  a 
little  Jew,  who  had  none  of  the  charms  of 
oratory,  yet  he  has  "turned  the  world  upside 
down,"  as  he  has  been  preaching  "Jesus 
Christ,  and  Him  crucified."  We  are  of  those 
who  would  read  Jesus  in  the  light  of  St.  Paul, 
believing,  as  we  do,  that  this  inspired  Apostle 
understood  the  mind  of  the  Master,  and  that 
he  is  our  safest  leader  in  going  back  to  Christ. 
For  we  very  much  fear,  that,  if  we  reject  the 
leadership  of  St.  Peter,  St.  Paul  and  St.  John, 
we  shall  go  back  to  a  Christ,  who  may  be  the 


"The  Mind  of  Christ"  121 

Son  of  Mary,  but  who  is  not  the  Son  of  God, 
we  shall  make  our  way  to  Bethlehem  and  the 
manger,  and  shall  hear  no  voice  nor  song  of 
angels  above  the  hills,  we  shall  reach  Golgotha 
to  find  there  only  the  cross  of  a  martyr  instead 
of  the  cross  of  an  atoning  Saviour,  whose 
blood  is  offered  in  the  face  of  heaven  for  the 
sins  of  a  lost  world. 

For  pulpit  service,  I  believe  that  we  may  be 
satisfied  with  St.  Paul,  as  an  example,  and 
that  as  to  theme,  treatment  and  manner.  He 
had  the  mind  of  Christ,  and  so  he  preached 
the  eternal  verities,  whose  two  terms  are  the 
sinner  and  the  Saviour.  This  is  a  standpoint 
that  addresses  every  interest.  The  Holy  Spirit 
waits  upon,  and  blesses  Pauline  preaching. 
By  it,  converts  are  made  and  saints  are  edified. 
It  solves  the  sociological  problems,  by  force  of 
the  eleventh  commandment,  "that  ye  love 
one  another,  even  as  I  have  loved  you."  It 
makes  the  Church  just  what  it  should  be,  the 
body  of  Christ;  and  the  body  of  Christ  once 
went  about  doing  good.  The  Church  should 
be  doing  just  what  Jesus  Christ  did.  Good 
men  make  good  laws,  and  administer  them, 
when  made.  Progess  is  recorded.  The  poor 
are  considered,  and  the  less  favored  have  a 
chance.  Men  have  not  to  die  to  know  some- 
thing of  heaven.  This  earth  has  foretastes  of 
heaven.     Life  is  worth  living. 


122     The  Man  and  His  Message 

"  The  whole  world  gives  back  the  song 
Which  now  the  angels  sing." 

And  all  this  is  true,  because  plain,  ordinary 
men  have  accepted  the  rarest  privilege  and  dig- 
nity that  mortals  can  enjoy,  and  have  permitted 
"  the  mind  of  Christ,"  who  is  the  adorable  and 
ever-blessed  Son  of  God,  to  become  their  mind. 

Dear  friends  of  the  Graduating  Class,  this  is 
our  last  word  to  you;  and  it  is  spoken  from 
our  hearts.  May  you  have  "the  mind  of 
Christ"!  You  need  it.  You  may  have  it. 
Make  it  yours. 

We  shall  never  meet  again  as  a  company, 
until  we  meet  before  "the  great  white  throne." 
From  this  hour,  our  paths  diverge.  God  only 
knows  what  may  be  before  each  one  of  us; 
and  because  He  knows,  we  are  safe. 

Very  pleasant  has  our  fellowship  in  the 
gospel  been  to  us,  your  teachers.  We  shall 
miss  you.  You  aroused  our  interest,  when 
first  we  met.  You  have  held  our  respect  and 
confidence,  as  you  have  pursued  your  studies. 
You  carry  with  you  our  love,  because  we 
know  your  hearts. 

"  God  be  with  you,  till  we  meet  again; "  in 
toil,  to  strengthen  you;  in  temptation,  to  de- 
liver you;  in  prosperity,  to  sanctify  you;  in 
sickness,  to  heal  you;  in  sorrow,  to  comfort 
you;  in  death,  to  encourage  you;  in  heaven,  to 
crown  you. 


Watching    For   Souls — The    Work    of 
the   Ministry 


Watching    For    Souls — The   Work    of 
the    Ministry 

The  student  of  theology  is  projected  into  the 
Christian  ministry.  He  does  not  grow  into  it. 
From  the  theological  seminary  to  the  pulpit, 
there  is  but  one  step:  and  that  step  is  taken  in 
response  to  the  call  of  a  church.  The  call  be- 
comes the  warrant  for  active  service.  It 
locates  an  inexperienced  young  man  over  a 
parish,  in  which  he  will  be  expected  to  be  a 
leader  of  thought,  a  superintendent  of  work, 
and  an  illustration  of  all  the  Christian  graces. 
The  parish  may  be  as  large,  and  as  exacting,  as 
any  that  he  will  ever  serve.  In  it,  he  will  be 
more  independent  than  men  of  other  profes- 
sions can  be  at  their  work.  He  can  select  his 
own  themes  of  discourse  and  plan  his  own 
courses  of  study.  If  he  desires,  he  can  turn 
night  into  day:  and  he  is  at  liberty  to  consume 
his  energies  with  midnight  oil.  Christian  for- 
bearance will  tolerate  a  ministerial  idler  and 
trifler  until  patience  ceases  to  be  a  virtue.  The 
lawyer  is  under  constraint  of  office  hours;  so 
is  the  physician;  and  the  merchant;  and  the 
mechanic.  But  to  an  unusual  degree,  the 
minister  is  his  own  master;  and  the  authority 

125 


126     The  Man  and  His  Message 

thus  exercised,  is  often  weak,  foolish  and 
ruinous. 

Thomas  Chalmers  began  his  ministry  at  Kil- 
many,  a  little  town  not  far  from  the  University 
of  St.  Andrews.  As  he  was  especially  in- 
terested in  mathematics,  he  made  an  engage- 
ment to  lecture  in  the  University  and  to  devote 
the  most  of  his  time  to  the  duties  of  his  lec- 
tureship. He  went  over  to  St.  Andrews  on 
Monday  and  returned  to  Kilmany  on  Saturday; 
and  he  unhesitatingly  declared  that  "after  the 
satisfactory  discharge  of  his  parish  duties,  a 
minister  may  enjoy  five  days  in  the  week  of 
uninterrupted  leisure  for  the  prosecution  of  any 
science  in  which  his  tastes  disposes  him  to  en- 
gage." "I  find  you  always  busy,"  remarked 
a  neighbor,  "  but  come  when  I  may,  I  never 
find  you  at  your  studies  for  the  Sabbath." 
"Oh,"  replied  young  Chalmers,  "an  hour  or 
two  on  the  Saturday  evening  is  quite  enough 
for  that."  He  could  do  as  he  pleased,  and  his 
pleasure  was  the  neglect  of  sacred  duties.  For 
later  in  his  life,  he  confessed  that  he  had  been 
guilty  of  "a  heinous  crime"  in  his  treatment 
of  the  church  at  Kilmany. 

Entering  upon  his  work  without  experience, 
and  left  as  he  is  to  himself,  the  Christian 
minister  should  have  a  clear,  definite  concep- 
tion of  what  his  work  is.  It  is  distinct  from 
other  men's  work,  and  yet  it  is  strangely  re- 


Watching  for  Souls  127 

lated  to  every  human  interest.  If  it  is  well 
done,  it  will  sanctify,  bless  and  adorn  every 
interest  that  affects  the  lives  of  human  beings. 
What  is  it  ?  In  what  department  of  life  is  the 
Christian  minister  expected  to  serve  ? 

I  reply  that  the  work  of  the  Christian  minis- 
try is  to  watch  for  souls.  "  They  watch  on 
behalf  of  your  souls,  as  they  that  shall  give 
account;  that  they  may  do  this  with  joy,  and 
not  with  grief;  for  this  were  unprofitable  for 
you."  This  Scriptural  statement  meets  the 
situation  perfectly.  The  watching  is  intense. 
It  strains  the  nerves,  until  sleep  becomes  an 
impossibility.  Reference  to  the  account  that 
must  by  and  by  be  rendered  is  a  perpetual 
admonition.  The  prophet  Ezekiel  sounds  a 
note  of  warning,  when  he  addresses  the  watch- 
men of  Israel,  who  fail  in  the  discharge  of 
duty,  and  the  shepherds  of  Israel,  who  neglect 
the  flocks.  God  is  observant.  In  His  sight, 
they  are  very  guilty.  For  He  expects  that 
trusts  will  be  faithfully  administered,  and  that 
responsibility  will  be  met  with  scrupulous 
fidelity.  He  honors  men,  when  He  appoints 
them  as  watchmen,  and  His  severe  displeasure 
is  visited  upon  those  who  consult  ease,  safety, 
comfort  and  pleasure  rather  than  the  duties  of 
the  service  to  which  they  have  been  assigned. 

That  service,  when  the  Christian  ministry  is 
mentioned,  is  to  watch  for  souls.    John  Keble 


128      The  Man  and  His  Message 

— the  poet-preacher  of  the  English  Church — ac- 
complished his  great  life-work  under  the  con- 
viction that  "  the  salvation  of  one  soul  is  worth 
more  than  the  framing  of  the  magna  charta  of 
a  thousand  worlds."  Many  interests  are 
ephemeral.  They  perish  with  the  day.  While 
the  soul  is  immortal.-  It  must  live  forever. 
And  where  ?    That  is  the  question  of  destiny. 

Society  will  respect  and  honor  the  man,  who 
attends  to  his  own  business.  The  care  of 
property  is  the  lawyer's  business.  The  care  of 
health  is  the  physician's  business.  The  care  of 
the  soul  is  the  minister's  business.  While  He 
was  in  this  world,  Jesus  Christ  concentrated 
His  attention  and  efforts  upon  this  supreme  in- 
terest. His  example  is  eloquent.  Christian 
ministers  can  afford  to  do  as  He  did. 

Clericalism  in  public  affairs  has  written  a 
history,  which  is  the  humiliating  record  of 
blunders,  duplicity  and  oppression.  Jesuitism 
is  the  name  for  it,  whether  Roman  Catholic  or 
Protestant.  The  Jesuits,  as  an  order,  have 
been  driven  out  of  half  the  countries  of 
Europe — and  why  ?  Simply  because  they  have 
departed  from  the  original  plan  of  Ignatius 
Loyola.  It  was  in  Paris — and  the  year  was 
1543 — a  young  man  of  distinguished  ancestry 
was  a  member  of  the  University.  Day  by  day, 
there  met  him  a  Spanish  knight,  who  had  been 
wounded  in  battle,  and  who,  upon  a  couch  of 


Watching  for  Souls  129 

suffering,  had  become  a  Christian.  One 
question — only  one — was  upon  his  lips.  He 
asked  it  at  the  close  of  every  interview,  and 
often  at  the  beginning.  "  What  shall  it  profit 
a  man,  if  he  shall  gain  the  whole  world,  and 
lose  his  own  soul?"  Always  the  same,  that 
impressive  question  presently  took  such  hold 
upon  Francis  Xavier,  that  he  gave  himself  to 
the  Society  of  Jesus,  which  Ignatius  Loyola 
was  then  organizing,  with  the  avowed  pur- 
pose of  preaching  the  gospel  to  save  souls. 
What  would  the  Society  of  Jesus  have  done  for 
the  world,  if  its  members  had  been  true  to  that 
avowed  purpose  ?  But  soon,  very  soon,  they 
became  ambitious  to  meddle  in  politics,  and 
thus  they  made  Jesuitism  the  scandal  of  Chris- 
tianity. 

The  ministry  should  be  satisfied  with  a  divi- 
sion of  labor.  No  one  man  can  do  everything, 
and  very  few  men  can  do  many  things,  and 
do  them  all  well.  "The  aristocracy  of  emi- 
nent ability,"  it  has  been  said,  "is  not  large, 
and  never  has  been.  How  many  Cromwells 
and  Miltons  may  have  died  in  their  mother's 
arms,  nobody  knows.  But  the  grown  up 
Cromwells  and  Miltons  have  all  been  heard 
from."  To  put  men  and  women  on  the  right 
side  for  God  and  humanity  is  the  grandest 
work  that  can  be  done  in  the  interests  of  the 
family,  the  state,  the  nation  and  the  world. 


130     The  Man  and  His  Message 

Nehemiah  gave  proof  of  his  good,  sound  com- 
mon sense,  as  well  as  of  his  consecration  to 
duty,  when  he  said;  "I  am  doing  a  great 
work,  so  that  I  cannot  come  down."  And 
yet,  he  was  only  building  a  stone  wall.  Single- 
ness of  aim,  if  the  aim  is  the  true  one,  will 
serve  to  keep  a  man  from  wasting  time  and 
energy.  A  man  may  have  his  recreations,  as 
he  should.  The  legend  of  St.  John  and  the 
partridge  is  instructive.  The  bow  must  be  un- 
strung, if  its  elasticity  is  to  be  preserved. 
"One  thing  I  do,"  however,  is  Pauline;  and 
St.  Paul  made  his  ministry  tell  upon  life;  both 
Jewish  and  Christian. 

As  a  watchman,  the  Christian  minister  is 
God's  representative.  God  is  always  watch- 
ing for  souls.  That  beautiful  incident  in  the 
life  of  Jesus,  which  expressed  His  solicitude  for 
the  disciples,  who  were  toiling  in  rowing 
when  the  wind  was  contrary,  is  indicative  of 
God's  watchfulness.  He  had  gone  to  the 
mountain-side  to  be  alone  in  prayer.  The  dis- 
ciples were  out  upon  the  lake.  A  storm  burst 
upon  them.  They  were  in  peril  of  their  lives. 
As  He  prayed,  Jesus  watched  them.  When 
they  were  ready  to  despair,  He  was  present  to 
speak  safety  and  peace.  Now  we  know  that 
God  is,  as  Jesus  was.  The  manifested  interest 
of  Jesus  upon  a  single  occasion  is  the  perpetual 
interest  of  God.      He  knows  the  value  of  a 


Watching  for  Souls  131 

soul.  Bethlehem  and  Calvary — the  Incarna- 
tion and  the  Crucifixion — are  eloquent  of  di- 
vine sympathy  and  love,  because  the  Son  of 
God  is  there. 

Thus  Christian  ministers  stand  behind  the 
Son  of  God — a  long  way  behind,  if  you  please, 
— but  still  in  the  same  path.  As  He  was  sent 
into  the  world,  so  are  they.  His  work  is 
theirs.  He  ever  watched  for  souls,  and  they 
must  always  do  the  same. 

Jesus  watched,  because  He  believed  that 
souls  need  salvation;  and  if  we  have  the  same 
belief,  we  shall  watch  somewhat  as  He  did. 
Perhaps  we  do  believe,  and  again  perhaps  we 
do  not.  "  The  Son  of  Man  came  to  seek  and 
to  save  that  which  was  lost."  "I  am  not 
come,"  He  said,  "to  call  the  righteous,  but 
sinners,  to  repentance."  He  who  is  not  a  sin- 
ner has  no  need  of  a  Saviour,  while  he  who 
is  a  sinner  has.  Our  ministry  is  not  to  sinless 
angels,  but  to  human  beings,  who  have  sinned, 
and  who  must  be  saved  by  Jesus  Christ. 
"Without  Christ,"  and,  therefore,  without 
hope.  There  may  be  culture  and  refinement, 
there  may  be  the  advantages  of  wealth  and  in- 
fluence, and  yet,  "  without  Christ,"  the  soul  is 
ignorant  of  God's  love,  and  can  have  no  pros- 
pect of  seeing  God's  face,  and  of  hearing  God's 
welcome — "For  this  is  life  eternal,  and  they 
should  know  thee,   the   only  true  God,  and 


132      The  Man  and  His  Message 

Him  whom  Thou  didst  send,  even  Jesus 
Christ." 

He  who  watches  for  souls  must  carry  this 
burden,  just  as  God  does.  God  cannot,  and 
He  will  not,  roll  it  off.  No  more  should  the 
watchman.  For  he  looks  abroad,  and  what 
does  he  see?  Many,  many  souls  "without 
Christ,"  and  many  others  who  have  but  a 
slight  hold  of  Christ.  These  souls  are  steadily 
moving  on  to  the  solemn  judgment,  which 
shall  announce  the  destiny  of  each.  Can  there 
be  more  important  work,  especially  when  the 
watchman  is  able  to  cry  aloud  in  warnings,  in 
exhortations,  and  in  cordial  offers  of  forgive- 
ness, peace  and  heaven  ? 

During  the  plague  season  of  1665,  the  city 
of  London  was  panic-stricken.  Many  of  the 
people  fled  to  the  country,  while  those  who 
were  compelled  to  remain  in  the  city  faced 
death  at  every  turn.  Then  was  heard  the 
voice  of  the  faithful  watchman,  who  offered 
salvation  and  called  for  its  prompt  acceptance. 
"No  polished  periods,  no  learned  disquisi- 
tions, no  labored  paragraphs  chilled  their  ap- 
peals, or  rendered  their  discourses  unintelligi- 
ble." "Old  Time,"  wrote  Thomas  Vincent, 
one  of  the  heroes  of  the  hour,  "seemed  to 
stand  at  the  head  of  the  pulpit,  with  his  great 
scythe,  saying,  with  a  hoarse  voice,  "Work, 
while  it  is  called  to-day.    At  night,  I  will  mow 


Watching  for  Souls  133 

thee  down."  "But,"  inquires  an  earnest 
minister  of  our  time,  "  should  it  ever  be  other- 
wise? Should  there  ever  be  less  fervor  in 
preaching,  or  less  eagerness  than  there  was 
then?  True,  life  was  a  little  shorter  then — 
that  was  all.  Death,  and  its  issues,  are  still  the 
same.  Eternity  is  still  the  same.  The  soul  is 
still  the  same.  Salvation  is  still  the  same."  Oh, 
that  we  might  realize  this.  Our  work  is  ineffec- 
tive, because  it  lacks  consecration.  We  labor 
in  vain,  and  spend  our  strength  for  naught, 
when  our  efforts  are  merely  professional.  It 
should  not  be  so.  Sermons  should  be  preached 
for  souls, — every  sermon  should.  Results 
should  be  expected.  Parochial  duties,  house 
to  house  visitation,  should  be  undertaken  with 
the  definite  purpose  of  helping  souls.  Such 
calls  are  pastoral,  and  the  pastor  is  ever  hear- 
ing, and  heeding  the  command,  "Feed  My 
lambs;  Feed  My  sheep." 

It  is  the  exalted  privilege  of  God's  watch- 
man to  carry  with  him  the  conviction  that  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  is  the  complete  and  only 
Saviour — complete  and  only.  As  to  these  two 
points,  there  is  to  be  no  doubt  whatever. 
Without  reserve,  he  agrees  with  the  Apostle 
Peter,  that  "in  none  other  is  there  salvation, 
for  neither  is  there  any  other  name  under 
heaven,  that  is  given  among  men,  wherein  we 
must  be  saved."     The  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  who 


134     The  Man  and  His  Message 

lived,  suffered,  died,  arose  from  the  sepulchre 
and  ascended  to  the  throne  of  God,  is  the  Sav- 
iour of  the  world,  and  the  emphasis  must  be 
upon  the  definite  article — the.  The  Saviour. 
It  will  not  do  for  us  to  imagine,  or  suggest,  that 
there  may  be  other  Saviours,  or  that  some 
people  can  get  on  without  any  Saviour  at  all. 
We  are  Christians,  and  Christians  believe  that 
Jesus  of  Nazareth  is  the  only  Saviour  and  that 
He  must  save  every  one  who  ever  is  saved.  He 
came  to  this  world— the  Son  of  God — as  has 
been  recently  said,  not  simply  to  deliver  a 
message — i.  e.,  to  tell  us  that  God  is  merciful 
and  gracious;  but  also  that  there  might  be  a 
message  to  deliver — L  e.}  to  do  something 
Himself  that  may  be  told  to  all  the  world.  We 
often  quote  St.  John  iii.  16,  and  it  is  well  that 
we  should — God's  love  cannot  be  too  fre- 
quently announced.  But  let  us  remember  that 
St.  John  iii.  14-15,  which  contain  the  refer- 
ence to  the  serpent  that  was  lifted  up  in  the 
wilderness,  presents  a  truth  which  must  go 
with  the  proclamation  of  God's  love.  For  the 
message  of  the  gospel  is  in  terms  of  history. 
Facts  underlie  the  message.  "  If  Christ  hath 
not  been  raised, — "  the  appeal  is  to  facts, 
"then  is  our  preaching  vain ;  your  faith  also  is 
vain."  No  subjective  impressions;  no  "value 
judgments,"  made  by  the  recital  of  what  may 
have  been,  or  what  may  be  supposed  to  have 


Watching  for  Souls  135 

been  will  answer.  Our  gospel  is  historic.  We 
take  our  stand  unhesitatingly  upon  the  Incar- 
nation, the  Crucifixion,  the  Resurrection  and 
the  Ascension  of  Jesus  Christ.  These  are  facts 
— not  legends.  The  Apostle's  Creed  is  the 
substance  of  the  watchman's  message.  With 
that  Creed  we  can  watch  for  souls,  believing 
that  a  veritable  incarnation  of  deity  brought 
the  Son  of  God  into  this  world,  "in  the  like- 
ness of  sinful  flesh  and  for  sin: "  that  a  shame- 
ful death  upon  the  cross  presented  the  price- 
less blood  of  a  sinless  Victim,  as  an  atonement 
for  the  sins  of  the  world:  that  a  glorious 
resurrection  is  the  conquest  of  death  and  the 
subjection  of  the  grave:  and  that  a  triumphant 
ascension  is  the  pledge  that  the  Saviour  is  to 
live  forever  as  Advocate  and  Mediator;  and 
that  He  is  to  come  again  to  be  welcomed  in 
the  blessed  peace  of  His  benign  reign.  This 
is  the  message,  and  it  has  the  witness  of  suc- 
cess. Souls  are  saved  by  it  and,  when  saved, 
are  cheered  and  led  on  to  noble  living. 

Yet  when  we  thus  speak  we  are  aware  that 
our  speech  is  sharply  challenged.  There  are 
influential  schools  of  thought  whose  members 
do  not  think  as  we  do.  At  the  last  Church 
Congress  in  England  there  was  an  animated 
discussion  on  "The  Progress  of  Life  and 
Thought  in  the  Church  of  England,  during  the 
Victorian  Era."    A  broad  churchman  referred 


136      The  Man  and  His  Message 

with  kindly  expressed  contempt  to  the  views 
of  the  Evangelicals,  who  hold  that  the  chief 
characteristic  of  the  converted  is  that  they 
have  accepted  the  atonement,  or  believe  that 
Jesus  Christ  died  for  them;  in  other  words, 
that  Jesus  Christ  has  borne  upon  the  cross  the 
punishment  due  to  their  sins,  and  has  made  it 
possible  for  God  to  forgive  them.  Then  he 
added  these  words:  "I  think  that  it  will  be 
admitted  that,  throughout  English  Christendom 
in  general,  these  doctrines  are  either  openly 
repudiated,  or  tacitly  ignored,  or  avowed  with 
bated  breath."  Now  that  is  to  us  a  startling 
statement.  If  it  is  true  of  England,  I  am  sorry 
for  the  great  Church  of  England.  If  it  should 
prove  true  of  the  United  States,  I  should  be 
solicitous  for  the  future  of  Christianity  in  this 
broad  land.  I  have  no  zeal  for  denominational 
tenets,  as  such.  I  prefer  those  of  my  own  de- 
nomination, else  I  should  go  to  another.  But 
I  have  an  intense  zeal  for  what  is  known  as 
the  evangelical  faith.  If  souls  have  been 
saved,  it  must  be  used.  When  the  Church 
ceases  to  use  it,  then  there  will  be  a  loud  call 
for  the  Salvation  Army  and  kindred  organiza- 
tions, whose  leadership  will  be  conducting 
lost  sinners  into  the  kingdom  of  God,  through 
the  proclamation  of  the  atoning  merits  of  the 
sinner's  Friend,  Jesus  Christ. 
The  present  interest  in  applied  Christianity 


Watching  for  Souls  137 

is  in  danger  at  this  point.  Applied  Christianity 
may  be  ethical  without  being  evangelical.  It 
may  seek  to  save  the  body,  and  neglect  to 
save  the  soul.  It  may  supply  bread  and  butter 
to  the  hungry,  and  never  offer  "the  Bread  of 
Life."  I  would  not  say  one  word  in  dispar- 
agement of  applied  Christianity.  God  be 
praised  that  it  has  prominence.  Let  its  fruits 
abound  yet  more  and  more.  It  is  needed. 
We  cannot  do  without  it.  The  dear  Lord 
Himself  had  compassion  on  the  multitude,  and 
fed  them.  We  must  minister  to  physical 
wants.  The  human  beings,  over  whom  we 
are  to  watch,  are  not  disembodied  spirits. 
They  must  have  respectable  dwellings,  good 
food,  pure  water  and  warm  clothing;  and 
when  they  are  sick  they  must  have  medical 
skill  and  medicines.  The  good  Samaritan, 
conducting  the  wounded  man  to  an  inn,  is  ap- 
plied Christianity.  The  benedictions  of  the 
right  hand  are  pronounced  in  view  of  service 
rendered  to  hungry  and  thirsty  people,  to 
strangers,  to  the  naked,  to  the  sick,  and  to 
prisoners. 

But  while  we  thus  speak,  let  us  ever  re- 
member that  applied  Christianity  is  an  expres- 
sion of  convictions,  and  that  evangelical  con- 
victions make  the  constraint  of  the  love  of 
Christ  the  most  powerful  motive  that  has  ever 
been  known.     His  love  for  me;  my  love  for 


138     The  Man  and  His  Message 

Him:  and  His  love  for  all  mankind.  Measure 
that  if  you  can,  and  then  you  may  hope  to 
find  a  limit  to  your  efforts  when  you  seek  to 
save  souls. 

In  watching  for  souls  the  Christian  minister 
has  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  souls  are 
saved  by  Jesus  Christ.  This  is  the  reward.  He 
has  souls  for  His  hire.  Souls  are  to  be  saved, 
to  be  pure  and  honest  and  sweet  and  gentle, 
to  care  for  the  better  things,  to  make  life 
worth  living,  to  enjoy  God,  to  be  ready  for 
heaven.  That  is  salvation  as  the  Master  and 
His  apostles  present  it.  Character  is  its  result. 
The  perfect  stature  in  Christ  Jesus  is  the  ideal. 

With  this  ideal,  and  for  this  result,  Jesus 
taught  and  labored.  No  teacher,  no  reformer, 
no  philanthropist  has  ever  done  as  much  to 
ennoble  society  as  He  has.  Yet  what  He  said 
to  Nicodemus — "Ye  must  be  born  anew" — 
was  always  prominent  in  His  teaching.  He 
was  wiser  than  His  generation,  and  His  wis- 
dom is  still  the  rebuke  of  our  folly.  We  work 
too  much  on  the  surface.  We  veneer  life. 
We  depend  upon  preambles  and  resolutions. 
We  are  satisfied  to  legislate  the  ten  command- 
ments. We  dress  iniquity  in  the  garments  of 
Christian  respectability,  and  then  congratulate 
ourselves  that  we  have  done  the  Lord's  work. 
It  is  a  mistake — this  popular  method,  and  we 
should  have  learned  the  mistake  long  ago. 


Watching  for  Souls  139 

We  have  our  instructions.  The  standing 
miracle  of  Christianity  —  saved  men  and 
women — is  before  our  eyes  all  the  time. 
"Greater  works  than  these  shall  he  do,"  said 
Jesus,  who  had  made  the  blind  to  see,  the 
lame  to  walk,  and  the  dead  to  live.  Now 
what  can  be  greater  ?  Why  this — to  turn  a 
sinner  from  error  to  truth,  to  persuade  a  man 
to  walk  with  God,  to  call  the  spirituality  dead 
to  eternal  life  in  Christ.  "That  is  a  miracle 
as  great  as  any  that  He  did.  It  covers  the 
whole  work  of  salvation — the  social  effects  of 
the  change,  as  well  as  the  individual  experi- 
ences." 

Ours  is  not  a  money-making  profession,  nor 
is  it  laden  with  worldly  honors.  For  most  of 
us  simple,  plain  living,  and  an  obscure  record 
is  the  outlook.  We  shall  work  hard,  be  poor, 
and  die  without  applause.  The  rewards  are 
not  attractive  to  one,  who  has  no  enthusiasm 
for  souls.  I  would  advise  such  a  man  to  se- 
lect another  profession,  and  to  engage  in  some 
other  business.  It  does  not  pay  to  be  a  Chris- 
tian minister,  when  the  best  that  can  be  said 
is  the  plea;  "put  me  I  pray  thee  into  one  of 
the  priest's  offices,  that  I  may  eat  a  morsel  of 
bread." 

But  to  the  man  who  loves  souls,  the  rewards 
are  most  attractive.  God  pays  the  watchman 
the  very   best  wages,   when   he  gives   Him 


140     The  Man  and  His  Message 

souls.  That  is  enough.  Who  can  ask  for 
more?  What  does  that  salvation  mean  to 
the  soul,  to  society,  to  the  state,  to  heaven, 
to  the  Redeemer,  who  gave  His  life  to 
save  souls?  A  soul  saved.  A  name  writ- 
ten in  the  Lambs  book  of  life.  A  call  to  the 
angels  to  sing  a  song  of  rejoicing.  A  soul 
saved.  And  saved,  because  God's  watchman 
has  done  just  what  he  ought  to  have  done. 
He  has  been  faithful.  That  is  all.  The  re- 
ward is  ample.  A  part  of  it  is  enjoyed,  here 
and  now;  while  the  larger  part  is  reserved  for 
the  great  hereafter,  when  we  shall  meet  before 
the  throne  with  those  who  will  declare  that, 

"  from  thy  mouth, 

We  heard  of  Jesus'  love,  and  thine  the  hand 

That  led  us  to  His  feet." 

Dear  brethren  of  the  Graduating  Class,  the 
message  of  the  hour  should  be  the  purpose  of 
your  ministry.  You  need  singleness  of  aim. 
There  are,  and  there  will  be,  many  distracting 
appeals.  New  ideas  are  seeking  consideration 
and  approval.  You  will  be  tempted  in  many 
ways.  The  ministry  of  your  generation  should 
be  keen-eyed  and  stout-hearted.  Novel  theo- 
ries of  social  reconstruction  are  abroad.  It  is 
fashionable  to  cry  down  the  old,  and  to  cry  up 
the  new.  You  will  have  need  to  be  resolute. 
Stand  ever  for  Jesus  Christ,  and  Him  crucified. 


Watching  for  Souls  141 

Consult  your  commission.  Understand  what 
your  work  is.  Be  satisfied  to  do  one  thing, 
and  to  do  it  with  all  your  might,  especially  as 
your  one  thing  is  the  greatest  thing  that  man 
can  do.  God  honors  you  in  permitting  you  to 
represent  Him.  Be  grateful  for  the  honor. 
Let  the  watchman's  spirit  be  yours.  Proclaim 
your  message.  Believe  in  the  certainty  of  the 
reward. 

The  learned  Archbishop  Trench  of  Dublin 
once  wrote  some  quaint  lines,  which  read  as 
if  delivered  to  his  clergy  in  the  nature  of  a 
charge.  The  spirit  of  the  lines  should  be  the 
spirit  of  your  ministry.     Listen  to  them. 

"  I  say  to  thee,  do  thou  repeat 
To  the  first  man  thou  mayest  meet, 
In  lane,  highway,  or  open  street, 
<  That  he,  and  we,  and  all  men  move 
Under  a  canopy  of  love, 
As  broad  as  the  blue  sky  above.' 
And  ere  thou  leave  him,  say  thou  this, 
Yet  one  word  more ;  '  They  only  miss 
The  winning  of  that  final  bliss, 
Who  will  not  count  it  true  that  love, 
Blessing,  not  cursing,  rules  above, 
And  that  in  it  we  live  and  move.' 
And  one  thing  further  make  him  know, 
That  to  believe  these  things  are  so, 
This  firm  faith  never  to  forego  — 
Despite  of  all  which  seems  at  strife 
With  blessing,  all  with  curses  rife 
That  this  is  blessing,  this  is  life." 


142     The  Man  and  His  Message 

That  is  your  message.  And  you  are  watch- 
men.    Be  true. 

And  now  may  God  bless  you.  Cherish 
pleasant  memories  of  us,  as  we  shall  of  you. 
Come  back  when  you  can  to  cheer  us  by  your 
presence  and  words;  and  write  us  freely  of 
your  joys,  your  sorrows,  your  hopes  and  your 
disappointments.  Pray  for  us,  as  we  shall  pray 
for  you.  Face  the  work  with  courage,  know- 
ing that  God  is  with  the  watchman  in  the 
work.  Move  into  the  large  opportunity  of 
the  next  century  with  strong  faith  that,  ere  its 
one  hundred  years  shall  be  numbered,  the  song 
of  redeeming  love  will  be  heard  in  every  land 
beneath  the  sun. 


Stewards  of  the  Mysteries  of  God 


Stewards  of  the  Mysteries  of  God 

Ministers  of  Christ  are  stewards  of  the 
mysteries  of  God.  St.  Paul  says  so;  and  he 
himself  was  an  eminent  minister  of  Christ. 
As  an  itinerant  theological  professor,  the  Eras- 
mus of  the  first  century,  he  educated,  for  the 
service  of  the  Church,  a  large  number  of  ear- 
nest men.  Such  were  Timothy,  whom  he  met 
at  Lystra;  and  Aquila,  who  was  with  him  in 
Corinth;  and  Apollos,  whom  he  taught  at 
Ephesus;  and  Epaphroditus,  who  visited  him 
in  Rome;  and  Tychicus,  who  was  a  travelling 
companion,  and  a  trusted  messenger;  and  Luke, 
who  was  the  beloved  physician,  and  the  first 
medical  missionary. 

The  lecture-halls,  in  which  St.  Paul  taught 
his  pupils,  were  the  solid  Roman  roads,  over 
which  he  journeyed  with  them ;  the  decks  of 
Alexandrian  corn-ships,  on  which  he  sailed 
with  them;  the  workshops,  in  which,  with 
their  assistance,  he  wove  the  Cilician  hair- 
cloth; the  hired  lodgings,  in  which  he  dictated 
his  Epistles,  and  preached  the  gospel;  the 
synagogues  of  the  Jews,  whose  worship  he  in- 
terpreted from  the  standpoint  of  a  Christian; 
the  cheerless  prisons,  in  which  he  exhibited 
the  heroic  qualities  of  a  manly  life. 
145 


146      The  Man  and  His  Message 

He  was  well  aware  that  he  could  not  live 
forever,  and  that  a  succession  of  trained  men 
was  essential  to  the  continuance  and  perpetuity 
of  his  work.  These  men  would  enlarge  his 
influence;  and,  with  others  like-minded,  would 
carry  on  his  work  long  after  he  had  gone  to 
his  reward.  Consequently  he  endeavored  to 
do  just  what  his  Master  had  done.  He  pre- 
pared men  of  promise  to  become  ministers  of 
Christ,  and,  as  such,  stewards  of  the  mysteries 
of  God. 

The  expression,  stewards  of  the  mysteries 
of  God,  is  but  one  of  the  many  that  the  Apos- 
tle used,  to  illustrate  the  work  of  Christian 
ministers.  Each  of  the  expressions  was  in- 
telligently selected,  with  a  desire  to  present 
the  work  in  a  fresh,  clear  light.  They  are 
crisp,  strong,  masterful  thoughts  to  live  by. 
It  is  well  that  a  class  of  theological  students 
should  take  one  of  them  as  a  motto;  and  it  is, 
also,  well  that  theological  professors  should 
bring  their  aims  and  accomplishments  to  the 
test  of  these  expressions. 

"Stewards  of  the  mysteries  of  God"  is, 
therefore,  the  theme  of  this  year's  farewell  ad- 
dress; and  it  will  be  the  purpose  of  the  few 
words  that  shall  be  spoken,  to  exhibit  the 
wealth  of  thought  and  the  constraint  of  duty 
that  the  expression  contains. 

The  mysteries  of  God  are  the  trust  of  the 


Stewards  of  the  Mysteries  of  God  147 

stewardship.  What  then  are  the  mysteries  of 
God  ?  Do  they,  in  any  particular,  resemble  an 
estate  that  is  entrusted  to  a  steward  ? 

The  Greek  world  was  familiar  with  the 
mysteries,  whose  real  significance,  however, 
was  understood  only  by  the  initiated.  The 
Eleusinian  mysteries  were  said  to  conceal 
comforting  assurances  respecting  a  future  life, 
and  the  initiated  were  pledged  to  secrecy. 
The  uninitiated  knew  that  there  was  some- 
thing at  Eleusis,  near  Athens,  that  exerted  a 
powerful  fascination,  and  the  initiated  claimed 
that  the  mysteries  were  most  impressive  and 
solemn  realities.  Athens  was  alive  with  ex- 
citement at  the  season  when  the  Eleusinian 
mysteries  were  celebrated  by  public  demon- 
strations, which  were  the  accompaniments  of 
the  secret  ceremonials  within  the  Temple  of 
Demeter. 

Like  the  mysteries  of  the  Greeks,  the  mys- 
teries of  God  are  hidden  from  some,  and  made 
known  to  others.  They  are  the  thoughts,  the 
secret  counsels,  the  eternal  purposes  of  God, 
which  have  been  revealed.  They  antedate 
history,  and  yet  they  stand  in  historical  rela- 
tions. They  have  always  been  present  with 
God,  while  in  the  fullness  of  the  time,  they 
have  been  expressed.  Thus  the  Lamb  was 
slain,  not  first  of  all  on  Calvary,  some  nine- 
teen hundred  years  ago,  but  from  the  founda- 


148     The  Man  and  His  Message 

tion  of  the  world.  Divine  thought  precedes 
divine  activity.  Accomplishment  is  the  un- 
folding of  plan.  When  it  shall  be  said,  that, 
"the  kingdom  of  the  world  is  become  the 
kingdom  of  our  Lord,  and  of  His  Christ,"  an 
eternal  idea  will  be  matched  by  the  events  of 
time.  For  this  after  all,  is  the  dominant  idea 
of  the  universe,  that  has  controlled  the  course 
of  history  and  governed  the  movements  of 
the  planets.  "The  stars  in  their  courses 
fought  against  Sisera."  It  is  an  idea  of  colos- 
sal dimensions.  No  finite  mind  has  ever  been 
able  to  comprehend  it,  while,  for  practical  util- 
ity, it  may  be  apprehended  by  the  intelligence 
of  a  little  child.  "Great  is  the  mystery  of 
godliness,"  exclaims  St.  Paul,  as  he  addresses 
Timothy;  and,  in  his  letter  to  the  Colossians, 
he  declares  that  this  is  "  the  mystery  which 
hath  been  hid  from  all  ages  and  generations; 
but  now  hath  it  been  manifested  to  His  saints, 
to  whom  God  was  pleased  to  make  known 
what  is  the  riches  of  the  glory  of  this  mystery 
among  the  Gentiles,  which  is  Christ  in  you, 
the  hope  of  glory;  whom  we  proclaim,  ad- 
monishing every  man  and  teaching  every  man 
in  all  wisdom,  that  we  may  present  every  man 
perfect  in  Christ." 

This  precious  deposit  of  truth  is  the  trust, 
of  which  ministers  of  Christ  are  stewards.  It 
is  something  definite,  which,  like  the  Grecian 


Stewards  of  the  Mysteries  of  God  149 

mysteries,  can  be  known  by  the  initiated,  and 
by  no  one  else;  and  the  initiated,  in  this  in- 
stance, are  they  who  have  been  enlightened 
by  the  Holy  Spirit.  "They  are  spiritually 
judged."  The  wise  and  understanding  cannot 
appreciate  the  mysteries  of  God,  which,  as 
Jesus  once  said,  have  been  revealed  unto  babes. 
The  great  doctrine  of  Christ  crucified  is  a 
stumbling-block  unto  the  Jews,  and  foolish- 
ness unto  the  Gentiles,  while  unto  them  that 
are  called,  whether  Jews  or  Gentiles,  this  cen- 
tral doctrine  is  the  power  of  God  and  the  wis- 
dom of  God. 

Stewards,  in  the  ancient  world  were  usually 
household  slaves,  whose  intelligence  and  fidel- 
ity secured  the  implicit  confidence  -of  masters. 
Vast  estates  were  left  to  their  care,  while  the 
masters  were  abroad,  for  pleasure,  or  in  mili- 
tary or  naval  service.  Their  duties  were  three- 
fold; and  these  duties  are  the  evident  duties 
of  the  ministers  of  Christ,  who  rejoice  to  be 
considered  the  bond-slaves  of  Jesus  Christ. 
Inventory,  administration,  and  account  are  the 
words  that  designate  the  duties  of  a  steward. 

First: — As  stewards,  ministers  of  Christ 
must  inventory  the  mysteries  of  God.  To  in- 
ventory is  to  present,  in  a  clear  and  an  orderly 
manner,  a  description  of  the  characteristics 
and  the  value  of  an  estate.  An  inventory 
should  contain  a  complete  statement  of  the  en- 


150     The  Man  and  His  Message 

tire  property,  so  that  it  may  be  known  how 
much  cash  there  is  in  the  books,  what  bonds 
and  mortgages  are  held,  and  what  their  condi- 
tion is;  what  stocks,  or  other  securities,  should 
be  in  the  report,  and  what  real  estate.  The 
steward  must,  therefore,  be  a  critical  student, 
a  patient  observer  of  the  entire  property.  He 
should  not  depend  upon  what  his  representa- 
tives, or  agents,  may  be  pleased  to  say.  He 
must  see  for  himself,  visiting  the  banks  and 
safe-deposit  vaults  and  farms  and  tenements; 
so  that  he  may  understand,  from  personal  ob- 
servation, just  what  he  is  responsible  for.  And 
this  work  must  not  be  done  once,  but  all  the 
time.  The  inventory  should  be,  at  least,  an 
annual  statement;  for  only  thus  can  it  be  true, 
and  truth  is  an  essential  quality  in  an  inven- 
tory. 

Here  is  where  the  student  life  of  a  minister 
of  Christ  finds  its  work.  It  may  have  a  begin- 
ning. It  can  have  no  end.  The  mysteries  of 
God  are  discovered  in  nature,  in  history,  in  the 
Church  and  in  the  Holy  Scriptures.  "  By  divers 
portions  and  in  divers  manners,"  God  has  been 
pleased  to  speak.  He  has  many  voices;  yet 
truth  is  one.  Nature  and  grace,  science  and 
religion  will  be  seen  in  harmonious  relations, 
if  there  is  intelligent  interpretation.  The  dif- 
ficulty too  often  is  that  the  interpretation  is 
partial   and   prejudiced.      The  perspective  is 


Stewards  of  the  Mysteries  of  God  151 

narrow.  The  student  stands  in  the  low  val- 
leys, not  upon  the  hills,  when  he  takes  a  view. 
He  becomes  intolerant,  whether  his  especial 
interest  is  nature  or  grace,  science  or  religion. 
He  ceases  to  study,  and  vainly  imagines  that 
the  instruction  of  venerated  teachers  in  his 
school  days  will  carry  him  safely  and  wisely 
to  the  grave.  Perhaps  it  will,  if  he  is  willing 
to  put  on  grave  clothes  prematurely,  and  to 
walk  the  earth  among  living,  thinking  men  in 
the  habiliments  of  the  tomb.  Then  he  should 
not  complain,  if  his  services  are  not  desired, 
and  if  he  is  recognized  as  over  the  dead  line, 
which  has  been  aptly  termed  the  lazy  line,  be- 
fore he  has  numbered  two  score  and  ten  years. 
He  has  failed  to  live  in  the  present,  expanding 
in  soul  with  the  progress  of  the  years,  and 
gaining  new  views  of  truth  from  persistent  in- 
vestigations. Resolve,  therefore,  and  hold  to 
the  resolution,  that  you  will  be  lifelong 
students  of  the  mysteries  of  God. 

No  steward  would  be  wise  or  faithful,  if  he 
should  devote  time  and  attention  to  one  por- 
tion of  the  estate  only;  or  if  he  should  fail  to 
bring  each  portion  of  the  estate  to  an  estimate 
with  other  portions.  His  work  must  be  analyt- 
ical and  synthetical,  both.  He  must  know  the 
estate  in  detail,  and  as  a  whole. 

How  true  this  is  of  the  divine  mysteries! 
Yet  how  prone  such  stewards  are  to  disregard 


152     The  Man  and  His  Message 

the  teaching!  Exegetical  study  attracts,  and 
systematic  study  repels.  There  is  an  impres- 
sion abroad  that  systematic  theology  has  had 
its  day,  and  that  henceforth  it  may  be  disre- 
garded, in  order  that  specific  doctrines  may  be 
investigated,  one  by  one.  But  no  doctrine 
stands  by  itself,  nor  can  any  one  doctrine  be 
studied  by  itself.  Sectarianism  of  the  worst 
sort  will  be  the  result  of  such  a  false  method 
of  study,  which,  like  the  tangent  in  mathemat- 
ics, leaves  the  main  body  of  truth,  never  to 
return,  but  to  become  increasingly  attenuated 
until  presently  it  is  too  weak  and  thin  to  be  of 
any  value,  save  as  a  will-o'-the-wisp,  to  alarm, 
or  to  rally  credulous  souls. 

The  steward  of  the  mysteries  of  God  should 
not  be  that  kind  of  a  man.  He  should  believe 
that  "cosmos"  has  been  written  over  these 
mysteries.  There  is  order  in  the  thoughts  of 
God,  and  it  is  man's  principal  business  to  re- 
spect that  order.  When  he  does  so,  it  will  be 
found  that  seekers  after  truth  are  brethren  in  a 
common  pursuit,  and  that  they  stand,  face  to 
face,  around  that  matchless  Personality  Divine, 
who,  after  all,  is  the 

"  One  far-off,  divine  event, 
To  which  the  whole  creation  moves." 

Second: — The  mysteries  of  God  are  to  be 
administered  by  ministers  of  Christ,  who  are 


Stewards  of  the  Mysteries  of  God  153 

stewards.  The  inventory  is  for  the  sake  of 
the  administration.  Stewards  seek  to  know 
what  is  under  their  care,  in  order  that  they 
may  use  it.  Administration  includes  develop- 
ment, investment  and  collection,  or  the  in- 
crease of  the  practical  value  of  the  property,  its 
employment  for  the  appointed  ends  and  the 
gathering  of  its  returns  or  harvests.  No  stew- 
ard of  the  mysteries  of  God  resembles  the 
warden  of  the  Tower  of  London,  who  has  the 
charge  of  the  crown  jewels  of  England.  For 
he  is  only  expected  to  preserve  just  what  he 
received.  The  mysteries  of  God  are  not 
diamonds,  rubies  and  pearls.  They  are  seeds, 
which  must  be  planted  and  replanted  and 
planted  over  again  in  order  that  there  may  be 
food  for  the  hungry,  and  well-filled  granaries 
in  the  time  of  famine.  God  wishes  no  man  to 
keep  this  precious  deposit  in  a  napkin,  and  to 
return  it  just  as  it  was  given  out.  It  is  for  de- 
velopment. Every  minister  of  Christ  should 
understand  that  he  has  something  to  do  in 
making  truth  more  intelligible  than  it  was 
when  he  became  steward.  This  is  the  nicest 
kind  of  work,  which  will  certainly  expose  one 
to  criticism.  The  past  claims  reverence.  The 
ark  of  God  is  sacred.  It  seems  presumptuous 
for  a  man  of  the  present  to  imagine  that  he 
can  develop  these  mysteries,  which  have  com- 
manded the  wisdom  and  devotion  of  the  cen- 


154     The  Man  and  His  Message 

turies,  and  which  are  expressed  in  the  great 
creeds  and  confessions.  Is  not  that  work 
final  ?  Is  it  not  rashness  to  question  what  has 
been  done?  I  answer  unhesitatingly,  No!  not 
if  the  questioning  is  in  the  right  spirit.  And 
what  is  that  spirit  ?  I  reply  that  it  may  be 
one  of  blind  adherence,  or  of  reckless  inquiry, 
or  of  intelligent  loyalty:  and  intelligent  loyalty 
is  the  only  spirit  that  is  worthy  of  a  minister 
of  Christ. 

The  spirit  of  blind  adherence  accepts  every 
formal  statement  of  the  past,  just  as  it  stands. 
No  allowance  is  made  for  advances  in  scholar- 
ship, which  have  unlocked  many  of  the  inner 
recesses  of  nature,  history,  the  church  and  the 
word  of  God.  These  advances  will  report 
their  work,  and  the  work  must  prove  influen- 
tial. The  mysteries  of  God  do  not  change, 
truth  cannot  change,  because  God  is  unchange- 
able. But  interpretations  may  change,  the  un- 
derstanding of  the  mysteries  must  increase, 
the  proper  expression  of  God's  thought  will 
ever  be  a  demand.  If  students,  in  other  de- 
partments, are  moving  forward  in  their  esti- 
mate of  the  mysteries  that  they  are  investigat- 
ing, why  should  ministers  of  Christ  be  com- 
mended, if  they  stand  still,  and  look  backward  ? 
Ours  is  a  progressive  science.  Light  is  con- 
stantly bursting  forth  from  the  Holy  Bible, 
which  contains  the  most  complete  revelation 


Stewards  of  the  Mysteries  of  God    155 

of  the  divine  mysteries.  But  the  revelation,  as 
we  have  already  remarked,  imposes  conditions 
of  its  own,  which  must  be  met;  and  those 
conditions  assure  us  that  we  should  keep  on 
studying  and  understanding,  with  the  confi- 
dent expectation  that,  one  day,  we  shall 
know,  as  we  have  been  known. 

Protestant  theology  has  no  Council  of  Trent 
to  dominate  its  scholarship  with  authoritative 
declarations;  and  the  venerable  creeds  and 
confessions  of  the  centuries  must,  every  one 
of  them,  be  constantly  subjected  to  the  test  of 
truth.  If  they  are  truthful  statements,  nay 
further,  if  they  are  the  best  truthful  statements 
that  can  be  made,  let  them  stand.  If  not,  then 
let  them  give  way  to  other,  and  more  satis- 
factory, forms  of  speech. 

The  spirit  of  blind  adherence  is  too  much 
like  that  of  Pope  and  Pagan  in  Bunyan's  alle- 
gory, "  by  whose  power  and  tyranny,  the  men 
whose  bones,  blood,  ashes,  etc.,  lay  there, 
were  cruelly  put  to  death."  Pagan  had  been 
dead  many  a  day;  while  the  other,  "grown 
so  crazy  and  stiff  in  his  joints,  could  only  sit 
in  his  cave's  mouth  grinning  at  pilgrims,  as 
they  go  by,  and  biting  his  nails  because  he 
cannot  come  at  them." 

If  the  spirit  of  ultra  conservatism  is  not  to 
be  commended,  no  more  is  the  spirit  of  reck- 
less inquiry.     This  is  the  modern  spirit.     Up- 


156      The  Man  and  His  Message 

to-date  thinking  is  applauded.  Present  day 
views  are  popular.  The  new  is  admired,  just 
as  the  latest  fashion  is  accepted,  because  it  is 
new.  There  is  no  reverence  in  this  spirit. 
The  mysteries  of  God  are  treated  just  as 
nursery  rhymes  are.  The  Holy  Bible,  it  is 
claimed,  is  literature,  and  should  be  studied 
just  as  any  other  literature  is.  But  the  Holy 
Bible,  be  it  said,  has  its  own  canons  of  literary 
study,  which  must  be  respected.  In  this  par- 
ticular, it  asks  just  what  Shakespeare's  dramas 
do  and  what  all  literary  productions  do;  and 
that  is  that  the  canons  of  criticism  shall  be 
employed.  For  no  one  imagines  that  the 
canons  of  criticism  that  rule  in  the  study  of 
philosophy  will  control  in  the  study  of  poetry; 
and  no  one  should  expect  to  interpret  the  mys- 
teries of  the  Divine  Word,  if  he  disregards  the 
evident  characteristics  of  that  Word.  God 
does  not  manifest  Himself  in  His  Word,  except 
to  the  intelligence  that  is  illuminated  by  the 
Holy  Spirit;  and  such  an  intelligence  has  the 
humility  of  genuine  scholarship. 

It  is  safe  to  predict  that  the  prevalent  com- 
mendation of  up-to-date  thinking  will  be 
short-lived.  We  shall  soon  pass  through  its 
rarefied  atmosphere  to  the  levels,  where 
thought  will  be  calmer,  more  profound  and 
more  satisfactory  in  its  announcements. 
Wise  men  have  preceded  us.     It  is  doubtful 


Stewards  of  the  Mysteries  of  God    157 

if  there  is  upon  the  earth,  to-day,  an  intellect 
that  can  equal  the  master  minds  of  the  great 
realms  of  inquiry.  Let  us,  my  friends,  be  on 
our  guard,  lest  we  fall  under  the  spell  of  this 
reckless  spirit,  and  become  to  our  shame  in- 
tellectual iconoclasts. 

Between  these  two  spirits,  there  is  the  spirit 
of  intelligent  loyalty;  and  this  is  the  only 
spirit  that  the  stewards  of  God's  mysteries 
should  manifest.  This  spirit  is  neither  blind 
nor  reckless.  It  is  the  nineteeth  century  be- 
holden to  the  centuries  that  have  gone  before, 
but  intelligently.  There  is  a  fair  presumption 
in  favor  of  the  decisions  that  have  been  made, 
which,  however,  does  not  keep  the  Beroeans 
from  examining  daily  whether  these  things 
are  so.  Truth,  and  nothing  but  truth  must  be 
authoritative. 

Confidence  in  God  is  strong  and  expectant. 
We  shall  know  more  of  truth,  and  shall  use 
more  than  our  fathers  did;  and  that  will  be 
our  privilege,  simply  because  we  have  their 
work  to  instruct  us,  and  the  same  blessed 
Holy  Spirit  to  guide  us  into  all  the  truth.  Their 
hand  upon  affairs  is  not  a  dead  hand,  nor  shall 
ours  be.  They  did  not  expect  to  control  the 
future  absolutely,  but  to  make  its  progress  a 
possibility.  We  honor  them,  and  most  of  all 
do  we  render  honor  to  the  Holy  Spirit  when 
we  build  upon  the  past,  as  a  secure  founda- 


158      The  Man  and  His  Message 

tion,  our  own  course  of  workmanship  in  the 
temple  of  truth. 

Thus  each  generation  of  thinkers  and  work- 
ers is  able  to  use,  in  a  practical  way,  such 
portions  of  the  mysteries  of  God  as  the  gen- 
eration claims  for  its  own.  We,  in  our  gen- 
eration, are  not  using  the  portions  that  our 
fathers  did.  They  did  their  work  to  the  best 
of  their  ability,  as  we  are  doing  ours.  Their 
aim  was  to  apply  God's  truth  in  human  con- 
ditions. Ours  is  the  same.  We  believe,  as 
they  did,  that  this  truth  can  transform  char- 
acter and  conduct,  if  it  has  opportunity.  A 
new  heart  may  be  trusted  to  have  good  man- 
ners and  to  live  a  clean  life.  Barbarism  yields 
to  evangelization,  just  as  refined  selfishness 
does.  Applied  Christianity  is  the  mysteries  of 
God  at  work. 

With  such  practical  activity,  the  stewards  of 
God's  mysteries  will  be  constantly  gathering 
the  returns  of  His  work,  and  will  be  adding 
them  to  the  value  of  His  sacred  trust.  There 
are  spiritual  harvests,  which  increase  the 
wealth  of  our  King.  Souls  saved,  institutions 
established,  laws  framed,  principles  explained, 
blessings  dispensed.  These  are  all  harvest. 
The  mysteries  of  God  are  a  richer  possession 
to-day  than  they  were  when  Jesus  took  leave 
of  His  disciples.  The  oak  is  grander  than  the 
acorn.     Yet  the  acorn  holds  the  oak. 


Stewards  of  the  Mysteries  of  God    159 

And  the  steward  has  great  joy,  as  he  realizes 
that  his  fidelity  is  thus  approved  and  that  his 
Master  is  glorified. 

Third: — There  is  an  account  to  be  rendered 
by  stewards  of  God's  mysteries.  "Give  an 
account  of  thy  stewardship,"  is  the  demand 
that  sounds,  with  prophetic  solemnity,  in  every 
hour  of  service.  There  can  be  no  escape  or 
exception.  Ten-talent  men  and  one-talent 
men  alike  must  give  account  each  for  himself. 
And  to  the  heart-searching  God!  What 
shall  it  be  ?  I  know  not.  I  cannot  answer 
for  myself.  How  can  I  speak  for  others  ?  I 
tremble  when  I  think  of  the  day  and  the  hour, 
and  I  should  despair  if  I  had  not  a  strong  con- 
viction that  an  Advocate  will  be  there  to  plead 
in  view  of  my  unworthiness.  With  oppor- 
tunities so  abundant  and  with  privileges  so 
rare,  what  should  the  account  be  ? 

If  I  cannot  tell  for  what  the  account  will  be, 
I  can  tell  you  what  some  of  its  features  should 
be,  and  they  are  these.  As  stewards,  the  ac- 
count should  indicate  what  the  mysteries  have 
done  for  us  personally.  We  have  been  stew- 
ards of  the  mysteries  of  God  for  twenty, 
thirty,  forty  and  even  fifty  years,  and  what 
have  they  done  for  us  ?  Are  we  better  men  ? 
Have  they  made  us  holy  men  of  God  ?  Shall 
we  be  castaways  after  we  have  preached  to 
others?     It  should  not  be  so.      Ministers  of 


160      The  Man  and  His  Message 

Christ  ought  to  be  the  purest  men,  the 
bravest  men,  the  noblest  men,  the  best  men 
in  the  world.  Let  us  see  to  it  that  our  steward- 
ship has  that  effect  upon  us. 

Then  we  should  present  the  honest  work 
that  we  have  done  upon  the  mysteries  them- 
selves, in  making  them  more  intelligible  and 
available.  This  is  glorious  work,  and  it  is 
much  needed.  In  many  respects  the  mys- 
teries of  God  are  not  understood  nor  appre- 
ciated. Men  will  say  things  about  them  that 
they  would  never  say  if  they  were  properly 
explained.  Take  that  greatest  of  mysteries, 
God's  sovereign  election  into  everlasting  life, 
and  recall  what  is  written  about  it,  and  you 
can  realize  how  much  painful  ignorance  and 
misrepresentation  there  is  upon  one  of  the  es- 
sential and  precious  truths  of  our  holy  religion. 
Or  take  the  atonement  of  our  blessed  Re- 
deemer, and  you  will  quickly  see  that  many 
statements  respecting  such  a  vital  doctrine  are 
travesties  of  the  truth  itself.  Or  take  the  work 
of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  read  some  of  the  cur- 
rent rhapsodies  about  the  infilling  of  the  Holy 
Ghost.  Are  you  not  called  to  careful  work  ? 
Is  there  nothing  for  the  young  scholars  of  to- 
day to  do  in  clearly  stating  the  mysteries  of 
God? 

Gentlemen,  I  firmly  believe  that  there  are 
young  scholars  with  us,  who  will  render  con- 


Stewards  of  the  Mysteries  of  God   161 

spicuous  service  in  this  direction  before  they 
become  veterans  in  the  cause  of  Christ.  State- 
ments are  to  be  reformulated;  and  when  they 
are,  the  mysteries  of  God  will  help  a  great 
many  anxious  souls,  who  are  now  standing 
afar  in  wonderment  and  perplexity  and  awe. 
Let  me  commend  to  you  this  phase  of  your 
stewardship,  and  let  me  urge  you  to  undertake 
something  on  this  behalf. 

Then  the  steward  must  report  the  work  that 
has  been  done  in  the  rescue  of  the  perishing, 
the  consolation  of  the  sad,  the  inspiration  of 
the  faint-hearted,  the  bringing  heaven  down  to 
earth. 

No  man  can  render  the  account  that  the 
faithful  stewards  of  God's  mysteries  can. 
They  have  been  working  with  God;  and 
God's  Son,  our  Saviour,  Jesus  Christ,  worked 
as  they  have  been  working,  when  He  was 
upon  the  earth.  Great  must  be  their  joy,  as 
they  report  to  the  Master  and  receive  the  com- 
mendation of  His  gracious  approval.  The 
trust  is  surrendered.    The  crown  is  bestowed. 

Gentlemen  of  the  Graduating  Class,  so  soon 
to  be  ministers  of  Christ,  and  stewards  of  the 
mysteries  of  God,  it  is  a  happy  circumstance 
that  you  leave  this  honored  Seminary,  and 
enter  upon  your  life  work,  on  Ascension  Day. 
With  songs  of  praise  and  prayers  of  adoration, 
the  holy  church  catholic  throughout  the  world, 


1 62     The  Man  and  His  Message 

has  been  engaged  in  commemorating  the  his- 
toric fact  that  Jesus  Christ,  the  Conqueror  of 
death  and  the  grave,  ascended  to  His  throne 
from  the  slope  of  Olivet.  He  has  been  wor- 
shipped, from  the  rising  of  the  sun  to  the  go- 
ing down  of  the  same,  as  the  Living  One,  who 
was  dead,  and  is  alive  forevermore.  From 
His  exalted  throne  He  observes  you,  and  from 
that  throne  of  power,  He  sends  you  help  in 
every  time  of  need.  "Lo,  I  am  with  you  al- 
way,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world,"  is  an 
assurance,  which  brings  courage  and  hope, 
when  it  falls  from  lips  like  His. 

Go  forth  to  your  work  with  the  conscious- 
ness that  His  eye  is  always  upon  you,  and  that 
His  arms  are  strong  to  help  you.  You  will  be 
lonely,  and  He  will  know  that  you  are,  and 
He  will  be  your  friend.  You  will  be  weak, 
and  He  will  know  that  you  are,  and  He  will 
be  your  strength.  You  will  be  disheartened, 
and  He  will  know  that  you  are,  and  He  will 
be  your  hope.  One  of  the  first  Christian  min- 
isters— his  name  was  Stephen — discharged  his 
stewardship  in  the  face  of  a  howling  mob  of 
Jerusalem  Jews  and  he  was  calm  and  satisfied, 
because  he  saw  Jesus  standing  on  the  right 
hand  of  God. 

"  He  heeded  not  reviling  tones, 
Nor  sold  his  heart  to  idle  moans, 
Tho'  cursed  and  scorned,  and  bruised  with  stones." 


Stewards  of  the  Mysteries  of  God   163 

The  heavenly  vision  held  him  to  his  work, 
as  it  will  you.  Never  forget  it.  Ours  is  not  a 
dead  Saviour,  but  a  triumphant  Redeemer. 
Carry  the  thought  with  you.  Feel  its  con- 
straint.    Enjoy  its  inspiration. 

Ministers  of  Christ!  Stewards  of  the  mys- 
teries of  God!  We  greet  you  in  your  youth- 
ful ardor  and  expectancy.  We  welcome  you 
to  the  service  for  which  you  have  been  pre- 
pared, with  our  loving  farewell.  We  once 
more  remind  you  that  the  eye  that  never  sleeps 
will  always  watch  you,  and  that  the  hand  that 
holds  the  worlds  will  rest  gently  on  your 
shoulders,  to  guide,  to  strengthen,  and  to 
cheer. 


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